Creating A Monster
by idreamofinuyoukai
Summary: Standing at the edge of a cliff Sesshomaru stared out at the land that unfolded before him. He heard the padding of footsteps approaching and turned to see the amused glare of his father. " you've done well" he said with no true emotion. " i am what i am, father, you saw to that personally." he said coldly. "you wanted a monster, i am one"
1. creating a monster

From the moment of his birth he understood who he was - what he was. A nuisance.

As an infant, Sesshomaru saw the silent contempt in his father's gaze. Sesshomaru understood that this was because he was an unwanted burden, a child born as consequence of his father's fleshly lust. Growing into a child, Sesshomaru began to receive the full force of that hatred in the form of violent outbursts and humiliation that left him hurt and seeking justification of the beatings with his own wretched deficiency. When his father walked into a room, Sesshomaru stood on edge waiting for the moment those amber eyes would turn on him. His father knew where he was, always. Sesshomaru would watch as his father's temper simmered and peaked to an astonishing explosion. His angry, fearful, eyes tracked the Generals movements, always waiting for the moment that his anger would turn to him, it always did.

Sesshomaru was an aristocrat in the demon society due to his father's prestigious role in the community. His father valued the titles and pressured him to live up to the expectations he placed on him. Sesshomaru's childhood was taken from him as he was forced to learn and grow quickly. Often, Sesshomaru's temper caused humiliating scenes that lead to beatings that left him clinging to life in his mother's arms. He learned to contain his rage that boiled within him, as well as hide the turbulent emotions that filled him with dread and hatred.

He knew when his father was going to bloody his nose. He felt the warning in the aura like a whip that cut him to his soul. When his father's fist collided, it was against the iron will of his son's want for acknowledgment. Picking himself off of the ground and looking his father once more in the eyes, he knew it would set him into a rampage. His mother would try and calm him but she too would suffer.

"Turn your eyes from your superiors, your stare offends me." He growled, flinging his arms out and shoving Sesshomaru's mother aside.

His father was a man of war, his power earned from the brute force and his cunning skills in battles throughout the centuries of his lifespan. His men feared him - all feared him - and none so much as the boy that felt the brunt of the general's frustration. Sesshomaru learned to be wary of nights where his father worked late with his men. Those were nights of which he would wake to being thrown from his bed to the ground and beaten until he fell unconscious, and his father's rage was sated. He learned to sleep far into the forest, beyond the reach of his father's anger during those days.

Growing, he was expected to fight and show his worth as the great general's heir. The other males of the tribe tested and tormented him for that very reason. When he was still yet a mere welp, older demons stole the food that was meant for his mother and him, forcing him to hunt as soon as he could use his claws. He was skinny, malnourished, but his father was relentless in forcing the issue by making him travel the same path passed the boys and making him face them time and time again. He was sullen, quiet, knowing that each word spoken would be used against him by friend and foe, so he kept to himself unless forced to interact.

"Sesshomaru, I want you to be happy," his mother would tell him while soothing the broken skin of his chin and lips with salve. She brushed his silver hair from his face and he frowned. He had not been able to fend off the attacks of the three particular demons that tormented him, he had been injured too much to go hunting afterward and his stomach rumbled with the pains that meant he would be hungry until his father returned from the skirmish.

"What do I have to be happy about? Father will never be pleased with me, I will continue to be targeted by the others." He said. She was the only one he would speak openly with, the only one he trusted.

She nodded knowing that what he said was true. "You will be strong someday, Sesshomaru. You must train under your father. He is cruel, difficult to please and his temper is unmatched. These are things that have made him what he is. But I wish for you to be greater than he is, Sesshomaru. I want you to find happiness worth protecting." She said to him.

"I do not understand mother," he said.

"It's hard to explain, perhaps one day you will be able to understand for yourself." She said and kissed his forehead. His mother was hungry too, she relied on the food that he brought for them and he knew that his father would be merciless if she was any weaker when he returned. He had placed him in charge over her well-being and he was failing miserably, the gauntness in her once rounded cheeks showed his weakness.

Sesshomaru's mother held him tightly to her chest and tried to coax him to sleep. He struggled against the pull of sleep, his stomach in knots from hunger and anticipation for the following day.

"Shh," she hushed him as he wined low, trying to turn over once more to find a more comfortable position. He stilled knowing that his restless tossing was keeping more than just himself awake. His eyes met his mother's understanding smile and she brought her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. He wrinkled his nose at the show of affection but settled against her chest, feeling the warmth of her love for him.

The next day would prove to be difficult. Tomorrow, like every day before, he would travel by the river where the three inu males who tormented him would lay in wait for him to pass. He went through the familiar routine of gathering the baskets and readying the flasks then securing them to his pack, the proper preparations for retrieving the supplies that were much needed.

Passing multiple tents, he quietly avoided eye contact while passing the demons that would kill him for even a wrong breath. Sesshomaru could hear the gentle lull of the river before he saw it. He looked for the troublemakers that would insure his workload doubled as well as a beating for his trouble. However, they were nowhere to be seen and Sesshomaru hurried on to the village square.

In the early morning, the storage building where the rations were being divvied was only being attended by one inu. Sesshomaru approached the old demon with wariness, his distrust in the other inu apparent in his rigid shoulders and his defensive stance.

"Sesshomaru, you're earlier than usual. Are you going to the cliffside to watch for the warriors coming back from the battlefield?" He asked. Sesshomaru looked at him with apprehension and the demon read the dread on his face. "Your father will be among them, do not fear for his life." He continued, misinterpreting the look. Sesshomaru masked his nerves and hurried back to his trail with his bundle secured.

He was almost home when he was grabbed by the haori and flung backwards. He growled and lashed out, not wanting to play with these inu today. They laughed at the reaction and he felt the impact of a fist to his jaw, then the liquid that filled his mouth. He spat blood and wrenched his arm free, coming face to face with the ringleader who towered over him.

"Takeda, release me. I have no time to fight with you today, my father is near with his men and I must return home." Sesshomaru urged the boy. Amusement flashed through Takeda's citron eyes as he ran his claws through his hair and pretended to think about it. Laughing, he snapped his fingers.

"Let's teach him to respect his betters. Make him scream then take his rations. There's no need for food to be wasted on a weakling like you, you do not deserve to be called the son of the great general... Awe are you going to cry, Sesshomaru? Or should I say "Shinta"? That seems a more fitting of a name for a soft, weak boy like you." Takeda grabbed a fist full of Sesshomaru's hair and wrenched his neck back, baring his neck to the group in submission.

Clenching his fists, Sesshomaru roared and raged against the restraints of the boy's grasp. A spark of fire lit within him at the mention of his weakness and he found a fountain of rage that made his will concrete. For the first time, Sesshomaru felt the unquenchable urge to soak his claws in their blood. He felt the prick of their claws digging into his arms and the dull ache of his scalp intensify. Fury bled from his veins into his eyes, his face contorted with animalistic ferocity and piercing red eyes.

He pulled his arms from the grasp of the two boys with newfound strength. The boys gasped in shock before Takeda's subordinate attempted to contain Sesshomaru once more. As soon as the fight began anew, it was over. Sesshomaru claws slit the boy's throat immediately, remorselessly. Blood ran onto the ground, soaking into the grass and wetting the soles of his boots. Takeda's eye widened and he growled,reaching to grab Sesshomaru by the throat. Sesshomaru grabbed his fist and broke his arm in rage. Adrenaline and testosterone filtered throughout Sesshomaru's system, he heard his heartbeat in his ears and it drove him to kill the remaining boys. Takada looked to his two friends, one dead and the other attempting to revive him, and then to the crazed face of Sesshomaru. He quickly weighed the costs of fighting against this boy with only one working arm.

"Sano, let's go." He said and grabbed the other arm of their dead friend. Sesshomaru panted, coming down from his high as his enemies retreating forms dissipated in the distance.

When he returned to his mother's tent, he found that she was awake and tending to the laundry. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood that adorned his pant legs and sleeves of his haori. She dropped her cloth on the dirt and rushed to him.

"What happened Sesshomaru?" She asked, checking him with panicked motions. Only after she inspected him from head to toe did she calm. He was fine, save small cuts and bruises that seemed to always decorate his body.

"I killed one of the boys. They ran away and I kept our food mother, we can eat today." He stated flatly and handed her the blood-splattered parcel. She took it, her eyes dimming with grief.

Sesshomaru had not expected her reaction to be so and he felt the pangs of disappointment within his body. At last they could eat, and they would no longer be bothered by the children. Why was she not triumphant for this small victory? He was both bitter and confused with the things he was feeling, the kill had felt right, they had planned on hurting him, again, and he could not allow his mother to suffer more for his weakness, he had to stand up to them.

Waiting at the cliff's edge, Sesshomaru, along with several tribe members, watched with solemn anticipation for the warriors that had survived. However, Sesshomaru was not there for sentiment. He watched solely out of duty as heir to the general.. His father's fate was already known and thus he was not surprised when he rode into the village, galant and staring Sesshomaru down with his piercing stare.

Inu no Taisho dismounted and stepped passed his son without a backward glance. Sesshomaru knew to follow him without being told, this was expected. Upon entering their tent, Sesshomaru was thrust out and made to wait while his father and mother coupled. He sat on the grass beneath a tree not far from their tent and waited for the scent of their hormones to fade away. There would be one chance to see his father before he immersed himself into training and the teachings of a new soldier.

"Sesshomaru." His father's voice rang out.

Sesshomaru jolted from his daydream and stood. He heard his father's movements, the rustling of clothing and then he was beckoned into the tent. He went slowly, not sure why his father had called out to him. He had never done so before and it made him wary.

"Father?" He said, meeting his father's stare and trying not to wrinkle his nose against the scents that bombarded his senses. Inu no Taisho looked at his son with a sense of mild curiosity.

"Have you killed Keita, the son of my guard?" He asked.

"I do not know their names, only that he had violated this Sesshomaru's person for the last time." Sesshomaru said, knowing that his father would find out and punish him for any omission or lie. His father chuckled and Sesshomaru felt his stomach knot at the horrific sound. He ached to look up to see his mother. He scented tears and felt her sadness like a veil separating them.

"Very good. This is the day you have made me not regret your existence. You have begun to gain power enough to take life. You are done looking after your mother here. From tomorrow forward, you will become the epitome of your name, "Killing Perfection". Leave us now and return when the sun is gone." He dismissed him.

Feeling anxiety beyond anything that he had felt before, he looked up and glanced at his mother's still form. She was kneeling elegantly with her hair veiled over her tear-filled eyes. His father growled and pushed his head down to make him look at the ground. He tore his eyes from the ground and glared up at the man that dared to ignore his existence and then rip him away from everything he had.

Inu no Taisho felt the challenge in his son's stare and stepped forward, cocking his fist back and sending the boy flying across the tent. He saw the woman ready to run to him, but stilled her with a warning growl. Sesshomaru struggled from the ground and his sire bent down to grab him by the scruff of his neck.

There was no going back now that his father's eyes had turned on him. He shook himself free of his father's grasp and fled for his life into the forest. There, he took his rage out on the trees and boulders that crossed his still growing fists. He clenched his teeth and growled out his frustration before sitting down and panting, finally drained of his anger to the point of exhaustion. Putting his claws in his shoulder length hair, Sesshomaru cried. He mourned the time he spent in his mother's warm embrace after the harsh rants and beatings his father delivered, he grieved for the torment waiting for him the next day. Finally, he could not shed any more tears and swallowed them up into himself, vowing that those would be the last tears that he would allow. He stood and swallowed down the emotions that ran rampant through his soul, he stilled the raging growl that made his heart race, and wiped the wetness and grime from his cheeks. Sesshomaru looked down at the markings that branded his wrists. They marked him and cursed him.

Sesshomaru did not stay long. After all trace of his breakdown had been covered, he returned to the place where his mother waited for him. Inu no Taisho was gone. He was across the village, living amongst his men. He dared not to look in the direction of his father's dwelling place, the place that would be home to him as well. He opened the flap to his mother's home and bowed to her. She beckoned him close and drew him into an embrace.

Instead of resting, his mother suggested a walk through the forest. Soon they strolled silently, an air of contemplation between them. Their thoughts were interrupted shortly as the scent of drunken beings filled the area. Out of the darkness of the forest, two humans stumbled and crossed the path of the demoness and her pup. Taking him behind her, Sesshomaru watched his mother summon poison to her claws and growl a warning. The humans came closer, their bodies poised to fight even in their drunken stupor. Perhaps if they had been sober, they would have noticed that a demon stood in front of them.

With amazed eyes , Sesshomaru watched his mother dispatch the humans and wipe the dirt from her hands and robes. "Humans are filthy creatures. If you let them, they will destroy you. It is much better to destroy them first." She said and urged him to accept her wisdom. He nodded and they continued. He thought about what happened, rolled it around in his mind and he still did not understand his mother's actions. She would kill humans in defense of him, but she had been heartbroken when he had made his own kill earlier.

"You will be cared for. The soldiers get rations first because you are our first line of defense. You see, there you will be taught to fight, be given a weapon and allowed to accompany your father on missions when you are skilled enough. This is a chance for you to gain some of the respect that will allow you to thrive."

"Mother, I know that I am small for my age, father thinks I am a disgrace. Yet since I have killed this one enemy, he means to make me into a warrior, is that correct?" He asked with eyes far wiser than his age. She nodded and he sighed, crossing his arms behind his head. The moon was full that night and Sesshomaru felt the strengthening aura given by the moon's light.

"You are incredible, Sesshomaru. You will become stronger even then your father. I believe in your strength and your heart. Please don't forget the things in which I have taught you." She asked him.

Sesshomaru looked at his mother, not understanding the way she urged him to promise. She had taught him so much, he could not imagine forgetting all of it and so he nodded. "Mother I could not forget."

And so they continued to walk, silence resumed.

Three months passed in waves of misery and pain. Sesshomaru fought constantly to keep what little dignity he had managed to retain among the ranks of new soldiers. The more experienced soldiers kicked him and stole from him like the enemies of the village did. He was near feral, starving and becoming more ruthless with each day passing. He began tearing and snapping at the limbs of inu soldiers that tormented him, until his reputation of eating the flesh from bones was a true fear among the squads.

His snarl grew more vicious, his claws were sharpened on the bones of his enemies and they began to leave him alone enough to eat. His father watched on with apathy. He snickered at his weight loss and criticized his form when brawling for the scraps given. But when he became big enough to fight for his nourishment and win, his father allowed it and gave him his rations due.

When he began to claim the nourishment he needed, his being flourished and filled.

At night, by the light of the watch fires, he stared at the stars that shined above him and waited for the next challenger to try and stain the ground with his blood. He was beginning to be feared among the newer recruits. Even his father's stare had begun to soften. At last, he was becoming great. Soon, he would be even greater than his father.

When five years had past with solid training. Sesshomaru was allowed to accompany his father on missions, they were mostly raids though. Sesshomaru had become a wiry youth of fifteen, skilled in hand to hand combat and with the only temper proven more deadly than the general's. He did as his father asked, and with every kill and every victory brought home to the village, his heart became more closed off until nothing could faze him. Not even the blood spray of his comrades as they fought side by side in the years to come.

At the age of twenty Sesshomaru was stronger than most and completely shrouded in a dark, brooding silence from the years of training battle. He was given his own commission having surpassed his father's expectation and gained the respect of the village leaders. He was not rewarded though. His father handed him the commission to invade the territory of the spider and walked away. By the age of twenty, Sesshomaru was broadened from the years of training, his muscles were hard from the battles and beatings he'd survived. Even his amber stare held an edge that made the inus wary.

Inu no Taisho saw the growth of his son both physically and mentally. The boy was no longer a soft whelp, looking for his mother's comfort. He had the edge of a warrior and the instinct of a killer and it pleased him. But, he was still so weak.

Sesshomaru faced each mission with the utmost respect and cunning. His father entrusted him with the missions that required the most amount of sacrifice and hardship. At times, he laid siege on a neighboring village. Others, he fought merciless bands of demons bent for domination. He was hardened by battle and, with each victory, he grew more proud.

As more time passed, Sesshomaru began to wonder whether his childhood had all been a test to prepare him for this moment. He was a machine, built for slaughter and he excelled at it. He felt nothing as his claws sliced through flesh and bone, only the satisfaction of the kill and knowledge of his strength.

His father's amused stare would find him often, and he felt the rage build up in him from years of neglect and abuse. His father went out of his way to make his work harder, sometimes reducing him to a heap on the ground from the lessons in sparring. These times enraged him beyond words. He hated to lose. He often felt the gnawing ache in his claws to shred his father to pieces, but he dared not show it. His control was too good to let this rage slip. If it did, he would die before he could exact his revenge.

Sesshomaru became a master of calm. He meditated constantly, pushing pain and anger to the back of his mind to make room for the information he pursued. There were rumors among his village that he had sold his soul to the power that he gained in leaps and bounds. He surpassed demon after demon, not caring whether that demon was a novice or an expert in his craft. Sesshomaru did not lose to anyone. He would not allow his will to be bent and his resolve became iron His newfound sense of being even planted the seed of fear in his father from the power he gained so quickly. The amber stare that Sesshomaru once had no longer showed fear or hatred. His calm facade showed nothing save the calm of an undisturbed pool of water. And so, Inu no Tashio began to watch his son with wariness.

Sesshomaru visited his mother frequently, though she grew more and more distant from him. He saw the disappointment and the anger in her eyes when she looked at him, and he wondered what he had done to earn her displeasure. She never said anything, only welcomed him into her tent and embraced him like she did when he was a pup. He did not respond to her pampering, having hardened his heart even to his her.

Sesshomaru came to see whether she was taken care of and checked her rations and her hearth. He found both to be adequately furnished and he left her company after an hour of resting. She stared after him and whined low when he closed the door behind him. Sesshomaru frowned and shut the feelings aside that made him want to turn back. He could not look back, only forward.

Taking his place in the soldiers barracks, he sat up listening to the sounds of the inus' slumber all around him. He hated the smell of these dogs, he hated the fleas and the smell of sweat in the area. Sesshomaru stood from his place and walked into the night. It was not his turn for guard duty, but he had to escape the crowded room. Close by, he could hear the sound of his father's footsteps. He was coming closer and Sesshomaru stood his ground, ready to face his father no matter what. The huge aura of his sire met him with dominating force. He met a similar amber stare and did not flinch when his father's hand raised to slap him. The resounding smack echoed through the camp. "You dare meet my eye when you are not even fit to walk on the same ground that I stand on."

Sesshomaru felt rage and attempted to suppress it. Yet a part of him snapped inside and Sesshomaru looked at his father with an eerily calm confidence. "Father, I am fit to do only as you have created me to do." He stated.

Inu no Taisho growled and brought his fist back to slap him once more. "Oh, and what were you created to do?" He dared, waiting for the comment that would lead to the most recent of pummeling.

"It is simple father… I know now what you want from me, it is to become a monster." Sesshomaru replied,waiting for his father's fist to connect with his flesh once more.

Inu no Taisho considered his son's words and lowered his hand. "Then you finally understand." He murmured and walked passed him, descending into the night.

Sesshomaru looked after his father with a sense of wonder and loathing.

 _I was created to be a monster. This is what I am._

 **This story is under construction. please stay tuned for** **several revisions revisions, spelling** **and** **grammar c** **orrections I plan on continuing to update as I go and finishing the story soon. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**

 **-Idreamofinuyoukai, out**


	2. this is what i am

This is what I am...

One hundred and fifty years his father tested him. For one hundred and fifty years Sesshomaru's skills sharpened, his heart closed further inside himself until only hate and anger resided in him,

Inu no Taisho watched with malice and pride as Sesshomaru grew in size and power among the men, even the fear of his reputation would cause their enemies to tremble before their armies ever arrived for the slaughter.

He was killing perfection, he was pure strength and ruthlessness, and it showed in his stare and stance. He moved with precision, stalked his target with the stealth of an assassin, cutting them down without a second of thought. His claws were stained in crimson, his heart was as black as the dimming eyes of his dying victims. Sesshomaru had grown into a mirror reflection of his father... and it pleased him.

In his mind he justified his style of living with the hard truth that; if he dared live any less than the life of the son of the cruelest inu general among the several tribes, his father would simply end his existence. He could not stop yet. Every day he watched the man he hated, just beyond his reach in ability. He mocked him, Inu no Taisho was still so much more powerful than he was, through he rapidly narrowed the gap with each passing year. Sesshomaru earned his rank, he fought as a man of the tribe and stood for the values that were instilled in him from the age of comprehension, which were; ruthlessness, viciousness, and cunning. There would be no mercy for the weak, each had to make their own power among the inu, and only the strong could lead the pack.

Sesshomaru's mother was more distant than she had ever been, each passing day he saw the disappointment and anger in her eyes. She snapped at him and cursed his heartlessness. She demanded he walk with her and she would attempt to melt the ice from his heart.

"Mother, this one is not interested in your games." he said staring into the distance. He saw the hurt in her eyes but he ignored the pain as a dull prod at the exterior of his mind. What was the use of hurt when pain was inevitable. Pain was life. His mother grabbed a hold of his arms and begged him to turn to her.

"You promised me that you would not forget wha _t I have taught you_. What have you become, Sesshomaru? Do you feel nothing?" she demanded. Ice and amber met the pleading gaze of his fair mother and she saw the cold steel of his resolve.

" I feel nothing." he said.

She backed away and fled from him then. Half in wonder he stared after his mother and wondered when it had come to this, when had their relationship degraded so much that she fled from him in anger out of frustration. He walked back to the edge of the village and passed the barracks where he had spent much of his life now, and went into the forest.

Sesshomaru slept alongside of the slow moving creek behind the watch tower. It was quiet and he could look into the sky as the sun set and rose once more, and think about the things that had come to be. There was another war coming, a war between the humans dragons and themselves where there would need to multiple lines of defense.

He wanted to lead the force against the dragon tribe. He had studied their fighting tactics and made and effort to battle a few along his patrol route and get a feel for what they would need to do. Watching the waxing moon, he planned to address his father on the matter in the morning. It had been many years since his father had struck him, finding his reflexes sharpened, he was capable of dodging most weaponless attacks and his calm deadly temper made every inu male take notice of the power that he was gaining.

The morning came in a dark cloud of angry silence, he waited until his father was done with his business with the leader and the tacticians, and approached with wary eyes. Amber eyes met and Sesshomaru could tell that his father was not in the mood to be spoken to.

" father, I want to head up the attack on the dragon tribe." he said locking eyes with the older inu.

Out of habit inu no Taisho cocked his fist back and went to strike the insolence out of his sons eyes but he was stopped by the pure hatred that emanated a fatal energy. The boy was beginning to show potential. " I will consider my options." he said and passed.

At the sight of his consideration, Sesshomaru felt the breath that he had been holding slip through his lips and he turned back to the men that awaited their daily drills and techniques that would save their lives. He went to them and took them through the same drills that had saved his life as a new recruit. He taught them through pain, and showed his claws when irritated at their lack of progress.

He walked through the village with unflinching eyes. He no longer looked away from anyones stare, and dared the challenger that thought he could win over him. Watching the line of pups retrieve rations for their mothers an sisters, brought back the memories of his own childhood and the days he spent aching from his core from the nourishment that had been mercilessly taken from him because he had been weak.

Eying a small inu pup with a similar edge to his eyes that Sesshomaru recalled, he watched as the bigger inu children tormented him and growled. But he stopped himself. There would be no one to look after the child when he turned his back, they would find and hurt him regardless of his own issues. Watching the boy flex his claws and lay one of the other ones open he smirked and turned away his values once more instilled. One must be powerful to live, he thought.

The skirmishes with the humans became an endless torrent of battles that Sesshomaru watched his father spearhead. He stayed away for months at end, fighting the cunning and deadly attacks that dwindled their men. But not, Inu no Taisho. Each time he rode back with the victory of knowing warcraft. He excelled in tactics, was faster than any human mount alone and the snap of his deadly jaws could cut a man in two... But he was changing.

Sesshomaru noticed the difference in his father. After two years of warring, he felt the difference in his stare and his stance. the once volatile man began to look thoughtfully into the distance and dream as he had never seen his father do, and he was more powerful if that were possible, and Sesshomaru watched his father step into a new realm of possibility, reforge his own fangs, and reach new heights of power.

He watched with rage renewed as inu no Taisho transformed before him into a demon that was untouchable by him or anyone else, and he hated him all the more.

" Sesshomaru, what do you stare at that fills you with such malice." his father asked him one day after his anger had lead him to slaughter a village of demon cats.

Sesshomaru gripped the reigns of his dragon mount tighter and fought the urge to shove his claws through his father's chest and kill him. "I dream of the day that I kill you" he said meaning it.

"You wish to kill me? You cannot even touch me, give up your efforts." he dismissed the lifelong goal and Sesshomaru held his calm through barely concealed hatred. The man in front of him was quiet and his cutting stare was eased with the passage of time. Sesshomaru saw the changes, felt the hesitance to kill, and saw the remorse that began to bled through the ruthless mask of his father.

Sesshomaru was insane with rage, he watched the months and years drag on, fighting and living as he had, while his father regressed before him to the lowest depths of filth.

Visiting his mother was useless, she looked at him through eyes that bored into him and barely held back the tears that she shed as he walked out of the tent and away once more to war.

There came a time, not long after the turbulent changes of his family, that he began not to care about such things and dedicated himself to the coming war with the dragons. He had put together teams of inu, renowned for their skill and thought his plan complete, but the leader did not agree. He insisted on waiting for Inu no Taisho to approve the plan, he vehemently refused his son.

Cornering him Sesshomaru demanded his answers. There was a time that even daring to look his father in the eyes would be cause for a beating, but that man now looked back at him through eyes softened with understanding. "you will be killed, your plan is good, but it is not good enough to take on the leader Ryokotsuei." he said and Sesshomaru bared his teeth in a blatant show of disrespect. A spark of his father returned, but was quickly replaced with shame and he looked away.

" You have never cared whether I live or not. Do not stand in my way, general." he said showing that familial ties meant nothing to him. Taisho understood too well the blood lust and the hatred that boiled up in his son and he nodded.

" You have my blessing, go to war, Sesshomaru, kill Ryukotsusei, I will wait for your return." he said and Sesshomaru snapped his teeth closed, silencing any remark after his father's acceptance of his request. He hated the fake concern and the empathy in his father's eyes. Amber eyes locked and Taisho looked away first for a reason Sesshomaru only wondered at. As he stood motionless his father walked away into the village further. He stared after him with loathing. This man had beaten him until he could not move as a child, he had forced he and his mother to starve while he pursued war and titles, had trained him to become as he was with the utmost cruelty... but where was he now? Who was this man and why had he changed so much. These were things that rattled him mind but he could not make himself care enough to press the matter.

Inu no Taisho reclused to himself. There were no shows of great power or slaughters in the street of the village square of some unfortunate that crossed his path too soon after the rage of war. The villagers even began to notice and the fear that he once ruled their tribe with was now replaced with the reverence of a man that did not use his anger to lead his people.

Sesshomaru watched with a disgusted heart, the changes that took place around him. Not he, he was as he had been trained, silent as a predator, calculated as an expert at warfare, and ruthless to the bone. When his leader gave him permission to move out to the land of the dragons and wage war he left without even a backward glance at the man that gave him life.

Days passed In travel down to the gorge where the dragon's lair resided. Sesshomaru took twenty inu demons with him that had been in war several times before, and with eyes that held nothing but confidence Sesshomaru lead his men to battle.

Winging across the sky faster than Sesshomaru thought possible the first dragon came to make its presence known. Sesshomaru scented the air and found the nest to be filled and the creature above them was the female. She reached them and plumed before releasing a breath of fire that touched the edge of the cliff side with warning.

Summoning power within him he let his aura loose filling the area with his dark intent. To the inu soldiers beneath him it was a rush of energy and adrenaline that elicited snarled and growls throughout the men that awaited his command. Raising his hand he grabbed their attention and made his plan known to the men. " we will descend into the gorge, there is limited room to fly within its channels, there will be more risk of fire breath but there you are all protected behind the stone of this valley, it is not destroyed easily by heat. There will be one chance to deliver the killing blow then we take out the nest." he finished and turned back to the oncoming battle. Kicking his heels into his dragon mounts side he launched forward and the men followed down the steep trail to the bottom.

The female dragon screeched her rage and attacked using claws touching down and grabbing at Sesshomaru and his men. Seeing her claw within reach Sesshomaru reached back and raked his claws using his poison to send her back hissing in pain. The men behind him attacked with steel and poison harrying her back as they found the floor of the gorge.

Dragon turned her eyes to Sesshomaru and plumed to release a breath of fire once more and Sesshomaru stood and dismounted from his horse. He didn't like to fight mounted anyway and he felt the panic of AuUn as he fled from the gorge home where he was trained to return to the village. The dragon female touched down and filled the valley with her incinerating flames. It was hot, burning his face and singing his hair, h crossed his arms in front of him and felt the burn of fire swallow him up. When the fore dissipated he gasped releasing the breath that had kept his energy stable during the attack. He was closer now, having sacrificed his flesh for the chance to kill this creature.

Behind him he heard the hustle of his men coming from behind divots and bulges in the rock wall. They rushed to him and as a group approached the dragon with battle worn eyes.

"The scales behind its heart are vulnerable, stay vigilant, stay aware of her claws and tail." he urged and they descended into a closer style of fighting. She stood her ground and as the rush of inu attacked she fought them off with strength far more then he Sesshomaru had been aware of. Slashing talons ripped his men apart, her tail, reinforced with hardened pieces of leather and spikes struck out and flung one of his men completely out of the valley refusing him to a splatter on the wall of rock.

Hours passed in hopeless battle. She was fierce, unyielding and one by one she picked off his twenty men until he and one other inu remained, fighting tooth and nail for their victory. She was not unfazed, tiring out from the hours of movement and adrenaline Sesshomaru saw her wing pinned against a too close boulder and they backed her further to the wall. She stepped back and Sesshomaru lunged jumping to her shoulder and clawing her eye. With her wing pinned back she could not use the hurricane like winds she summoned to keep them at bay.

Catching her eye he blinded her and called his man. Jumping up to where he was the inu held on as she thrashed and screamed bringing her claws up to swat them away. Raising his steel the other inu cut down the claw that raked passed them, removing it from her hand and making her rage more. She shook her shoulders and flapped one wing to gain distance but the inu soldier stepped down into her scaled and held his ground through the turbulence.

Sesshomaru scaled the ridge of her back and climbed to her head as she flung it back and tried to buck him off. He held with poison claws digging in and moved ever forward to his target. Getting between her eyes he glared his hatred for their kind and shoved his claws into the uninjured eye. Blinding her and releasing poison into her blood, so close to her brain.

Wrenching back she jolted and cried out at the pain, suddenly preoccupied she tried to grab them off of herself blind with injured claw and punctured throughout her body. Sesshomaru held on through his man was flung to the ground and he closed his eyes to the rush of wind as she hastened to her nest.

Nestled between boulders there was a crack big enough to slip inside and she hunkered down over a trio of eggs that from where Sesshomaru stood were much bigger even than himself as a full grown man. He watched for the sign of the male and felt her restless moving and attempt to protect her young. He slipped from her back with one graceful jump and landed silently won the ground behind her.

Sesshomaru lay in wait until her nervous shifting wad done. She could easily smash him against the wall if she saw him, so he walked in the shadow of the cave and stalked around until he could see her gleaming eyes. He scented his men's' blood on her breath and he felt anger at being made a fool of. This had been more than he had ever expected.

She gave him her side laying down around her eggs thinking that the inu threat was gone. He ridiculed her senses and wet to her back examining the scales of her back and shoulder. Seeing the thin scales of her throat he glanced down at his claws and knew he could not slit her throat this way.

He looked up. Stalagmites littered the top of the opening one particularly was mounted above her. He jumped into the air and grasped a hold of one next to the object of his victory and slashed with enhanced claws sending the boulder as an arrow through her throat.

The death throws of the giant female dragon took the cave down around them. He watched in satisfaction as the boulders smashed her young and her wriggling body edged toward the entrance trying to flee once more. Sesshomaru flung himself from the cave ceiling and landed in a run outside of the cave narrowly missing her claws as she reached for him.

Behind him he saw the last soldier approaching, he rushed over and bowed kneeling. " Lord Sesshomaru, your cunning in battle is unmatched, I doubt we would have survived if you hadn't have taken her eyes." he praised him with wonder and reverence. Sesshomaru ignored the praise, knowing that the power he had displayed was not the power that would help him to surpass his father's legacy. This would just be a test, one more test to prove his worth and power to his father.

It was quiet through the valley, too still and with Sesshomaru's sharpened senses, he felt something wrong, very wrong.

Above them, out of the fires of the mountain, another dragon appeared. This one twice as big and his enraged screech sounded through not just the gorge but echoed off the hills of the valley across the countryside, telling all that his will would be exorcised, his enemy would suffer.

His wings carried him above the place where the two inu were, and he looked down at them with venomous eyes. " You? the son of my enemy have destroyed this one's mate and young? _I will destroy your village and eat you for my desert._ " he reverberated his growly words into a binding curse and winged across the countryside towards their village.

Cursing, Sesshomaru thought back to the words his father had given him, why hadn't he come? Why had he stayed behind though this would be a battle worth his time? had he known that Ryokotsuei would go after their village when his mate was defeated? Sesshomaru felt the waves of bitterness through him and he panted feeling his eyes bled red. He needed to get home, fast. He looked within himself. Felt the pool of power that had allowed him to live this far into his life. Sesshomaru breathed slowly and let the power fill his being. He felt the change in aura, the ease that the energy flowed through him and then he felt the instinct and stepped forward creating a cloud in which to close the distance between himself and the dragon. He would kill Ryuko Tsei.

Flying across sky Sesshomaru felt the uneasiness of his comrade and he motioned for the inu to lean back from the edge ensuring him that should he fall there would be a long walk ahead of him. He would not go back. He could see the cloud of lightning and chaos in the distance.

There was a screech that sounded through the area like a shock wave, sending a surge of power that made Sesshomaru's cloud waver.

Sesshomaru did not slow down but he felt the wavering of the ranks in inu, as a battering against his senses. Inu no Taisho was in front, with the attention of the dragon. Sesshomaru was still so far off, he willed the could to move faster but the more he pressed the cloud began to dissipate and he was forced to slow or fall to his demise.

Out of the noise of battle Sesshomaru felt a change, his father was injured. He could smell the blood pour onto the ground and he pressed to get closer, lowering to the point where his comrade could jump off and Sesshomaru dissipated the cloud running as though there were hot coals under his feet, for the moment of the final kill. But before he could reach them, Ryokotsuei was bound. Subdued.

Sesshomaru slowed to a walk and observed the destruction of his village. It was in pieces, bodies littered on the ground and the soldiers held wound and limb. His father was among them. Inu no Taisho held his side from a deep puncture from Ryokotsuei claws. The blood poured and even the red cloth of his fire proof robe was soaked and torn.

Sesshomaru cursed his tardiness and went to where his father was. Amber eyes locked and Sesshomaru knew his father would die if he did not get attention quickly. He saw the look of pained regret on his father's face and he hardened his heart to it. " What will you do now father. Your injuries are severe."

Taisho looked at his son and lifted his hand to reach out to him but Sesshomaru backed away out of reach and turned deadly eyes on him. " Sesshomaru, I must go." he said and withdrew. Sesshomaru did not stop him, he did not try and reach back.

Inu no Taisho walked away and Sesshomaru watched after him with a mixture of wonder and loathing. " How dare you try and touch me." he growled to himself.

Turning his attention from the anger his father caused within him, Sesshomaru looked for his mother. Going to the place where her tent resided he felt a ripple of anxiety, the closest thing to fear that he had felt in fifty years, but it passed as he scented the site to feel for her blood. She was safe.

" Sesshomaru." he heard her voice and turned. He looked down at her with dull eyes. And she cupped his cheep bringing her nose to his neck to sent his well being. She looked up at him. " your father is dying. Go to him. There is much he must tell you before he is gone." she plead with him

" I will not. He will not die by any other hand but my own." Sesshomaru said feeling the betrayal of his mother's request.

" He has changed, I can see it. Sesshomaru there is something that he wanted to tell you. He came to me today and begged me to have you talk to him. With the injuries he sustained, there won't be much time. Please, do this for me. I have wanted your entire life to see the things that have only recently come to pass." she grabbed onto his houri and he restrained the urge to growl and remove her hands.

His mother, the only one that has ever wanted anything but pain in his life, The one that held and comforted him before he understood the hardships of this life. She was standing against him wanting him to see the man that had _tormented_ him. Sesshomaru felt the swirling emotions reminding him of why he had buried him emotions. Malice filled him, and he knew it was not his mother's pleading request that made him turn after his father and summon his strength..

Sesshomaru ran.

His father's scent lead him into the mountains of the human's country and through the villages to the side of a shrine. There he saw his father, burned and broken from another battle. He went to the place where his father lay and looked down at his broken form. " father, you must get up, so that I may be the one to kill you." he snarled waking his father up from the light slumber before death.

"Sesshomaru... come." he lifted his hand and grudgingly Sesshomaru stepped forward. It was habit though the fear of his father's colliding boot was no longer effective. Kneeling Sesshomaru vowed that once his words were spoken he would end him. " you must change... I was so wrong. I will never ask for your forgiveness, I do not deserve such a thing... nut Sesshomaru you must find something worth protecting, something worth changing your heart from ice."

" You created this, father. You formed me into the warrior you wanted me to be under the weight of your boot. You drilled into me, my spirit and hatred. Why are you still not pleased with me, father. I have bent to your will, and surpassed every expectation. You are a fool to die now, before I can kill you." he stood now unable to control the rage inside him. He looked upon this man with hatred and panted with the force of emotion in him.

" I made you into a beast, I am so ashamed that you have made me so proud. How my arrogance has forced you to be this way... No, you must change your heart. As I have, when you do, you will become greater than I ever imagined being... for you... and your brother." he said before fading once more.

" Brother?" he said with abhorrence. " You have sired another demon, father?!" he shouted now incensed and almost tearing him apart with his hands. Grabbing his father by the front of his houri he raised his claws to strike him down before the man could fade completely. But he stopped when the last words from his father's mouth made his breath leave his body and he withdrew like he had been burned.

" a half human, Inuyasha... Protect him." he begged through the pull of death, and then he was gone. His father's last victory.

A roar of pure hatred sounded out. He ran.

The world blurred past him.

He could not breath,

he could not think,

He would kill Inuyasha in place of his father. He would cut down the whore he bred with and then his vengeance would be complete.

 **AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai, out**


	3. bound you to me

In one moment his entire world changed.

Sesshomaru fled the place his father died. The man was dead. He had succumbed to weakness and he, Sesshomaru would not do the same. Putting distance between him and the scent of his father's blood he began to hunt.

In his search he found places that his father visited, a life he had known nothing about, and each discovery incensed him more, he scented the well worn paths only made by scent and left for the marking of territory. This was where he had been. "What were you even doing here!." he fumed. He scented the hints of demon in the area and realized that he had never scented for a half demon before. He had no idea where to start.

Searching for the scent that he did not recognize he combed the forest and mountain side.

In the middle of the night a woman crawled along the floor of the forest. She was bleeding from lacerations on her wrists and was burned from a fire that she had barely escaped. In her arms, she struggled to carry her infant son.

He wailed in shock, emerging into a world of raging fire and the cries of battle. He was hungry, his mother had used her strength to flee rather than feed him the nurturing milk of her body.

"Shh. We must not be found, Inuyasha... we must get to the shrine." she willed her dying body further into the forest. She was covered with the red cloth of her loves robe, for protection from the demons and the fires that raged after them. Slowly she moved toward the shrine and praying that the kami deliver her, so that her child may live.

The night was cold, beyond the normal chill of winter and Izayoi felt the wetness in the air that told her of the coming storm. Crying out into the forest, she made one last effort to summon her love, or anyone who could relieve her of her last wish. She had to name him as his father wished..

Just beyond where the woman lay dying there emerged a vision of white and red cloth. Izayoi sighed in relief and held her child out for the priestesses outstretched hands.

The twin priestesses looked at her with mirrored concern, both drew the power within themselves to try and heal the woman, but her wounds were deep and there was little more they could do.

" Kikyou, her child. He is a half demon" one of the priestesses gasped as she pulled back the swaddling clothes. Her sister lifted the woman from the ground to give her comfort.

"Would you tell us this child's name?" Kikyou willed her to wake and the woman's eyes fluttered. She resisted the peaceful pull of death to utter her final words.

" Inuyasha, he is Inuyasha." she said and faded away.

Immediately the child screamed, he struggled against the hold of the priestesses grasp and she found herself struggling to hold back his small form "Kagome, she is gone. What will we do with this half demon child." Kikyou asked closing the woman's eyes and laying her back on the soft dirt.

Kagome looked at the child and was moved. She drew the swaddling cloth back and saw silver hair matted around adorable puppy ears. He opened his tear filled eyes when he felt her inspection and searched for a hunt of security.

Unconsciously kagome drew back the covering to shield him and brought him to the warmth of her winter robe.

Kikyou looked at her sister and felt the familiar pain this scene was causing for both of them. She looked down at the woman and still heard the love in her voice, she hoped for the child's life. She wanted him to grow past the devastation of this day. But when Kikyou recognized he unearthly features of the child she was afraid.

She looked around for any sign of the child's father "Kagome this is not father's death " Kikyou drew back from the child and met her sisters annoyed stare. "we cannot take responsibility for this child-"

"how can you say that Kikyou. He is alone in the world. Where will he go, he's an infant."

"He is half demon, we can't handle this" Kikyou stated. " not only that but you remember what happened to father, do you want to relive that?" she asked.

Kagome frowned and pulled the child closer to her. Feeling g the pangs of anxiety she recalled the years spent wandering. Faces of people who despised them for his compassion and rejected the idea of giving in to them. " what I want to do, has nothing to do with what happened to father. This child just lost his mother, he has no one. We swore to protect people, he is a person." kagome argued.

Kikyou started to speak when she saw the determination in her sister's eyes. " think about this, we will be driven out of the shrine. Father left aunt kaoru to care for us. we should honor his wishes and stay." she tried to reason with her sister.

kagome looked at the stairs that lead to the shrine and felt nothing though she did recall her father's last words. he had held onto them begged them to stay together and told them to live with their aunt who ran the shrine above the city they grew up in. they had come to the shrine six years before and had struggled to fit in though their aunt tried hard to keep them from the harsh words and expectations of the other girls. " when we entered the shrine it was for the best. now we are older and can care for ourselves. i cannot speak for you, but i do not want to live in the shrine forever. i have never been happy there, father wanted us to be happy"

"i'm happy-" kikyou said not wanting to give up the life she had started.

" then stay." kagome said. she looked at the body of the village woman and did not recognize her. she reached for the woman's eyes and closed them. saying a prayer over her she felt the stirring of the womans spirit and felt the release of energy as she stepped into the spirit realm. " we need to bury her. in the morning i am going to leave with this child. stay kikyou, you have a life here, i don't." kagome said. " to be honest i've been looking for a reason to leave for a while. i can care for him, until his father, or family comes for him. when he is safe then i will let him go."

" kagome, his father could be dead, his mother is, and who knows if there is any family. you could end up raising him by yourself. what kind of life would that be? you won't be accepted anywhere." kikyou urged her sister to reconsider.

kagome laid the infant down and looked up into the swirling clouds above the treetops. there was a chill in the wind that signaled a coming storm and she took off her outer coat and covered him. " if father were here he would have compassion on this child, no one will welcome him, you are right, but we… we understand what it's like to lose."

kikyou felt the truth of her sister's words and sighed. " we have lost so much kagome, what if the child's family does come for him, you will lose him too."

" i will still have you. kikyou." she said to her twin sister. kagome looked up at her sister. a woman that looked like her in every way, and yet acted so differently. kagome envied the calm demeanor, the ability to separate her emotions from her work and do what she needed to. kagome began to gather stones to line the body of the boy's mother. she didn't see Kikyou's internal struggle but was glad when kikyou knelt to help her.

kagome took a break to check on the child and was happy to find him sleeping. he curled into the cloth of her coat. kagome shivered against the penetrating wind and felt her sister's hand on her shoulder. "we are nearly done. i have been in correspondence with a healer from a village in the west. they are looking for a priestess. we could go there and make a life for ourselves." she said. kagome looked up at her sister with surprise.

" what about the shrine?" she asked. kikyou shook her head.

" i can't leave you alone. what would you do without me." she snorted. kagome shook her head.

" if you are sure, then we will go." she said. The twins spent the rest of the night and into the early morning making a place for Inuyasha's mother. She mourned the life that the woman had lost and cradled her son against her chest and wondered if she would have to say goodbye to this child. her heart ached at the thought, but at once hoped that there was someone that would look for him.

When the job was done, both looked at the memorial with solemn silence and bowed in prayer. Blessing the place that she was entombed, they ensured that no demon would ever be able to disturb the grave. There were two things that the twins pulled from the woman's belongings. A gold shell with powder and a small mirror inside, and the red robe that she had covered them with for protection.

The girls journeyed away from the shrine with what they had on their backs. they masked their aura and hid his demonic features.

with each town they passed through the women healed the sick and exorcised spirits for the food and supplies they acquired. inuyasha clung to the priestess with everything he had. his fists curled into her hair and he cried at the hint of setting him down. feeding him was expensive, they worked hard for the money for milk and he was still so hungry.

Three days passed as they journeyed high into the mountains. passing through the village kikyou met with the healer and was directed to the landlord of the priestesses hut. he was wary of renting to them. he eyes the child and questioned the validity of their profession. but kikyo sharp wit and calm monor won over the hot headed landlord.

" if you destroy my hut, you will rebuild it." he warned them.

" of course sir. we are handy with tools as well as sutras. our father taught us many things while we traveled with him." kikyou assured him.

the man snorted and muttered his disbelief that a woman could build anything of substance. after giving them the directions to the remote location they departed and walked the steep trails that wound around the mountain. trees and shrubbery covered the trail and the women began to see the life they would have in front of them. the village was remote, a smaller group of people ten the city they had come from and no one had recognized their faces or names when they arrived.

" we can start over here kikyou." kagome smiled when she saw the hut in the distance. she saw the potential and felt herself hasten to their new abode. " we are already welcome, we are away from the rest of the villagers here, but close enough that we can get to the village if we need to."

" yes, this seems to be perfect. inuyasha will be able to thrive here." kikyou said making her sister stop in her tracks.

" that's the first time you've said his name." kagome said in wonder. looking down to the mop of silver she brushed back his bangs and watched him stir from the nap he had slipped into. " do you want to hold him?" sha asked. kikyou shifted uncomfortably and raised her hands to accept the child.

Inuyasha clung to Kagome's neck when he felt kagome start to detach him from her. he whined low and tried to burrow into her hair for protection. kagome cooed soothing words to him and beckoned her sister closer. " it's going to be okay inuyasha. this is auntie kikyou. she loves you." she said eyeing her sister and urging her to let go of her reservations.

kikyou reached out for him and accepted the weight of the squirming infant. he fought her, trying to get back to his protector, but kikyou turned him from her sister and made him face her. amber eyes studied her, he paused looking up at a face that mirrored the other woman's. his nose twitched, taking in the scent of the stranger and calmed down when he sensed no malintent. she was unsure of him, not like the other woman who welcomed him warmly, but not going to hurt him and so he watched her.

kagome watched the interaction with hope. kikyou was absorbed in the child's gaze, unable to look away even when they reached the small hut and stopped in front of the door. kagome reached out to touch her sister's shoulder and was surprised to see tears in kikyo's, brown eyes. " what's wrong?" she asked in wonder, it had been too long since kikyou had last cried and kagome looked around for anything that could stir her usually stoic sister.

" i was thinking about father, he did want us to find a life for ourselves, he was a priest, but he also had to learn to survive doing whatever we had to. he would not have left this child, and we can't leave him alone in the world either. he is innocent. i don't know what i was thinking." she shook her head and looked up at the hut.

"kikyou, you have always been afraid of change, i cannot blame you, because i was there, and change for us meant something entirely different than it did to other children. i cannot be angry at you for that." kagome noticed a strange look in her twins eyes as she spoke and trailed off. turning her attention to the hut her jaw dropped.

The two looked at the rickety shack that was to be their home and nodded accepting their fate. Going in they saw that the door was unhinged and the floor needed repair as well as portions of the roof missing. Kagome yelled in alarm as she stepped through the front step and clung to her twins outstretched hand. Inuyasha cried. He didn't understand why they were so frustrated and he let his frustration be known with wails that had the girls covering their ears and trying to calm him.

" It's okay Inuyasha. I will protect you." Kagome tried to soothe his cries. she took him in her arms and bounced him, rocking him and making him quiet down. " we are home now."

When over a month had passed Sesshomaru was incensed, he tore across the countryside pillaging and raiding human villages, looking for any sign of a half demon and finding none.

He had went to his mother and told her what his father had revealed, she was enraged as he was. But she looked at him and when he told her of his plot and begged him to let the boy live, she wanted move forward. He shook her off of him with frustration. " This is the last shred of betrayal. He will not live. Mother, I will return only when my revenge has been exacted." he notified her of his departure and she turned away from him with a snarl.

"You are a fool, leave me now." she crossed the room and laid down on her bed of first turning her back on him and dismissing him. He ignored her dramatics and left her brooding.

From there, he turned and went back to the place where the blood scent was now fading and he rethought the path that his father had taken. He remembered the smell of burning wood and tracked it back to the remains of a burned up mansion that had obviously been destroyed in battle. Kneeling down he saw a piece of human hair and scented a female. She was young, an infant compared to his many years but to humans he would guess well passed the point of maturity. He scented her blood and followed the trail up into the forest to a dead end.

Near by, there was a grave site covered with a spell he could not penetrate. He could not smell either the blood of the woman or his father, but there was a familiarity to one of the scents that reminded him of blood kin. It was faint, intermingled with the chaos of humans but he knew it had to be him. Accompanying the scent of the half demon was the smell of priestess magic.

Sesshomaru tracked the scent up the mountain and to the shrine. He was sure when he reached the top that it was his half brother and there was a priestess, maybe two but the scent were intermingled and he had few reserves to pull from in his memory of human smells.

Growling when he found the perimeter guarded with charms, he turned away finding the scent of his half brother leading off into the distance and stretching across territories into the mountains. Nearly beside himself with the blood lust, he hunted. Stalking through the trees and up the side of the steep cliffs his only thought after a month of searching was that he was finally going to get his revenge

It was nearly dark when Kagome pulled the door closed to her hut. She crossed the one room hut the shelves and filled them with the resources she had brought from the village. Kikyou had Inuyasha and was nestled in a corner with her arms around him and looking thoughtfully out into the twilight. He slumbered, content in her care and had no idea that death was stalking him.

Kagome went to her sister and withdrew a parcel. "Kikyou I wanted to talk to you about binding him to us. Right now he is an infant but soon... we will not be able to stop him if he throws a tantrum. It will only make it so he cannot hurt us, and until he trusts us he can't wander away without one of us close by." she explained and withdrew the parchment that contained the spell they needed. Kikyou looked at it with interest and considered her small friend. He was only a newborn, they would have time before they had to use it.

" I believe that is wise." she said and noticed his restless tossing. Kikyou felt a spike of energy nearby and looked around alarmed. she felt her palms start to sweat. she had feared that the child's father

would be angry. any demon was dangerous, but the black hatred of this energy felt as terrifying as the most evil of spirits.

" what is going on?" Kagome asked and felt the energy of an immense evil. It lurked beyond their small yard in the tree line, instilling fear and dread into their hearts. " Kikyou." Kagome said feeling the breath leave her body.

Kikyou moved into action and shook her sister from her daze. " Get the sutras, and some water from the flasks. We will have to conceal him." she said and they set him down and rush to find the things they needed. " Kagome the water." Kikyou urged and set the bowls down and began to draw lines around Inuyasha's restless kicking. He snarled and barked in a way they had never heard and in the distance they heard a howl of rage.

" shh, Inuyasha." Kagome cooed and tried to hush him.

scenting the movement of three persons sesshomaru looked into the window of the hut from his place in the trees and smirked when he heard the sounds of an inu child and roared his triumph. There would be three deaths today before his vengeance would be complete. He stalked the perimeter and heard the vain shuffling of the women inside. He could not see them, but his nose had never failed him before.

When the shuffling stopped there was a sound of chanting and he was burned with the smell of spirit magics raging against his destructive aura. He snarled and went to the shack using his claws to punch a hole through the wall and reveal the women. He thought he saw double as the twin women stared at him with eyes as black as coal and the other blue like the raging sea as their only difference.

kagome gasped seeing the silver haired demon. he was almost what she'd envisioned inuyasha to look like when he was an adult and wondered if this was the time she would have to say goodbye to him. the demon was enraged, kagome though from looking for his child for so long, but she soon realized that concern for the child's well being was not the reason for the visit, when he began to dissect the hut around them.

He hated the arrogance of their eyes and bared his teeth rising to the challenge. He could not see a child but his nose lead him there and there was no way around him. " Where is the pup." he demanded sending half of the hut flying and making one of the women flinch but the other was unwavering and their spell held strong.

Sesshomaru felt the burning that started in his boots and filled his being with agony, but it was nothing to him after the years of torture he had endured. pain made him stronger, and pain would end this. He stepped forward striking the barrier they had made but was thrown back from the force of the twins spell. It enraged him further and the sight of their smug satisfaction made him come unglued destroying the hut. " are you the father of this half demon." the blue eyed woman asked him while her sister held the spell..

He growled. " Do not dare to speak to me, _**filthy**_ human." he spat and used his poison claws to press against the barrier, he felt the shocks like daggers through him. He was breaking through and he saw the smug confidence turn to pure dread as he felt the barrier give and an explosion sent him back several feet before he could catch himself.

Kagome felt the impact and reached for Inuyasha. He was swaddled just out of her reach when to her relief Kikyou lunged forward and grabbed him. Their things were spread out in the rubble and the demon stood between them and the road to the village, they were on their own. Taking their lived into their hands Kikyou and Kagome raced from the rubble and put distance, however futile, between themselves and the demon.

" Kagome the arrows." Kikyou gasped pointing and running toward the treeline. The demon appeared in front of her and she reached one hand out and sent power to her fingers, burning him back. He snapped powerful jaws and raised his claws to strike her down when Kagome's spirit arrow caught him through the hand and he wrenched it back, his eyes turned on her. Kikyou got back toward her and they stood together for the coming confrontation.

Kikyou saw Kagome withdraw the binding beads. but the spell was practically under his feet and the women looked at each other wondering who should distract him while the other grabs the spell.

" I started this, i will grab the spell and deal with this demon" Kagome said swallowing down the fear that she was feeling. looking at him, she met his fury with resolve and felt his deadly intent. He was incredible, but so terrible she could not let that demon have him. She would give her life for him, she would show him the same love his mother had and ensure that he could live a life worth having. " Run, I will get the spell, it is our only hope. If it works... we will be safe, If it doesn't , it won't matter." she grasped her sister's hand and Kikyou frowned but nodded.

" I love you, sister. Make it work, do not die here." Kikyou pleaded and then she ran.

Standing her ground she felt his malice as he sized her up. " You cannot have him."she said and made a gesture of prayer and began to chant a restraining spell that wrapped chains of light around him. He shredded them with his claws and lunged for her with his claws outstretched catching her by the arm.

"You stay out of my business, this is my problem to deal with. Do not stand in my way." he squeezed and felt the crush of long bone and smirked when she cried out in agony..

" You bastard." she cursed him. At her words, he felt rage in him as he hadn't felt in years. Kagome scrounged and tried to crawl out of his reach. but he was too fast and just when he gripped her kimono to yank her backwards she grabbed the parchment. Hurriedly she opened the parchment and she hummed a chant pulling the words into herself, and preparing the spell with the beads clasped tightly in her hand.

 _ **How dare she insult me**_ , he thought and bared his fangs in a show of dominance and superiority. " I am no bastard. Wench. This one is of the highest bloodlines, and you will never again insult me." he turned on her with rage and grabbed her by the throat crushing her windpipes.

Taking a chance, Kagome grabbed onto his wrist and flipped the beads around his neck enraging him, and he dropped her to rip it away. Fuming, Sesshomaru was unable to tear the flimsy cord and felt the heat of spirit magic run through them like touching hot coals. He cocked his hand back to strike her and she closed her eyes and chanted quickly racing against the last seconds before his claws touched her.

He stopped. He couldn't move.

When he willed himself to slaughter her he could not move. Blue eyes locked with amber eyes and Sesshomaru discovered a new found hatred in her obvious relief. Bearing his teeth he raged. " What have you done." he spat the words like poison and his voice chilled her to the bone in the amount of hatred that seeped from each word. He would have pummeled her to a bloody spot on the ground if he could have, she knew that but as the spell reacted to his hatred he became more lethargic until the force of his raging heart and panting were calmed completely and he only glared at her..

Kagome stared up at the hate filled eyes and let go of the breath she was holding " bound you to me." she breathed and struggled from the ground. Her arm ached and she began a chant that drew power to her hand and she raised it over the bone shattered in her arm.

Her face pinched with the healing magic and he smelled the scent of her sister's tears, and the bastard child. He saw the panicked look on the other woman's' face and she wanted to go to her sister but she did not move toward the demon with the infant still in her arms.

" Kagome, are you okay?" Kikyou called from her place at the treeline.

Kagome glared up at the demon and was met with an enraged growl at her defiance " I am alright, it has worked, Kikyou. He can't hurt us." she said and stood and walked passed the demon turning her back on him not concerned to weather he would kill them any more. " jerk." she huffed and rubbed the healing bone of her upper arm.

sesshomaru felt the sting of her indifference when she turned her back on him and was instantly enraged from the disrespect. " do not turn your back on me" he seethed warning her of the resentment she was inviting.

" kagome looked at the demon with surprise and didn't understand what his problem was. " un you can't tell me what to do, this is my spell and you are mean." she said and turned back to her sister

" I will crush you when I am freed from this." he promised and she locked her eyes in him with pure irritation.. " Turn your eyes from me, your stare offends me." he growled feeling that it was a statement that all creatures lived by. It was simple respect to a more dominant creature. When she did not look away he wrenched his claws back and was amazed when he watched her walk away unaffected by his threat. " human." he said the word as though it were the vilest filth, she ignored him

" You have a lot of nerve coming into our house, destroying it, and then demanding that i adhere to some twisted rules you make up. Really? i can't look at you or walk away? watch me" Kagome turned on him. " how dare you try and kill this child... is he yours?" she demanded making him seethe with the audacity of her disrespect. " if you didn't want him, you shouldn't have sired him, but i will not allow you to hurt him because you are angry at his mother for dying."

He had to strangle the growl."That bastard child... is my half brother. He will die by my hand... and so will _**both**_ of you." he stared holes into the two women. he could barely believe that this woman would have the guts to speak to him this way, no one had ever spoken to him this way except for his mother, even his father had demonstrated only the sterile necessary conversation of battle.

Kikyou looked from the demon to her sister and clutched the wriggling child tighter to her body. "You will never touch him." she said and set her heart against him. Turning to her sister she made her concern known. " Kagome, how will we keep this one? This is a monster you are dealing with. He will kill us as soon as the spell is worn off." she demanded and Sesshomaru quieted his breathing to hear the next words clearly.

Kagome snorted, grabbing the attention of both the demon and her sister. she went to him and turned to her sister after laying her hand on his chest and meeting a growl that made her snatch her hand back, but he did not strike , she sighed. " it won't wear off. I made this for Inuyasha so we could raise him..." she explained. " it lasts until i take it off."

" oh Kagome... you should have told me. I would have stopped you." Kikyou shook her head and looked at the wreckage of their hut. " is this what father would have wanted. he's a monster, how are we going to live?

" we will have to convince him not to kill inuyasha. i don't know how this will work out, but i can't just let inuyasha get hurt." kagome said, meaning every word.

he could not believe his ears." a cunning enemy means a longer hunt. i will not forgive this! you will both die at my claws when i am able to escape this." Sesshomaru wrenched the necklace and was burned, but the panic that had set in was overwhelming, but his rage was being subdued from the woman's proximity and the hatred he felt for her was even more than he had felt in the years of darkness. He loathed her... He would kill her and sharpen his teeth with her bones. He said as much, and more as he took out his anger on the surroundings.

The girls watched with a fear as the demon male rampaged and made motions to strike them down several times before sagging into a heap. Sitting down, Sesshomaru felt exhausted. He hated this. He hated them.

Worse, the scent of his half demon brother was within grasp and he was no closer to killing him then when he had learned about him from their father.

sesshomaru could almost hear the amused laugh of his father. the resounding affirmation of his ultimate weakness, his father won. he was not going to kill the child with these women around him, Sesshomaru sented the blood of their father in the child and saw that visibly he was of his tribe, the second heir of the great general should have been a point of celebration, but the resentment grown from the years of neglect had only brought hatred. the child smelled of fear and sadness, but also he emanated an aura that the women unconsciously reacted to with protective care. it sickened him to see the concern etched in their faces.

He glared at the woman that stood not far from him, and saw her power. She had trapped him, he hadn't recognized the power of these priestesses but with eyes opened, he vowed to do everything in his power to ensure that they all payed for the delaying his vengeance.

Her words repeated in his head. " bound you to me." she had said. Smirking and retreating into the shadow of the forest he thought. " Kagome, you are bound to me.. And I will see you die."


	4. something worth protecting? Ridiculous

Hell. He was in hell. He determined this as he sat in the branches of a large oak and watched the priestesses rebuild some semblance of a shelter for the night. He had tried to kill her, and her sister. But the cursed beads did not allow it and he found himself subdued. He panted. He would torment them for this. They would pay for every second they stole from him where he could attain his vengeance.

Kagome was chilled to the bone feeling eyes that were like rubies, hard and unyielding as he watched her with murderous intent. He was bound to her by her own doing and she didn't know what to do with him. He was formidable, terrifying in his relentless raging. Time and time again he swept through the

Kagome propped a piece of roof up on a stack of logs and curled up under the shelter and prayed that the spell really would holdout until the morning. Kikyou crawled in beside her and they tried to stay warm but neither could sleep. Outside was a monster, ready to devour them at the first show of weakness.

In the darkness of the shelter Inuyasha began to cry. He nuzzled for a teat and the girls knew that he was hungry. His food had been destroyed in the fight and Kagome got up and scurried around to find any of the rations. Kikyou helped and they took turns holding him trying to soothe him. He settled down after a while in Kagome's arms as she rocked him. She kissed his head. "It's okay, Inuyasha you are not alone. I will protect you." she whispered against his head meaning it. She looked to where Sesshomaru sat in the tree and he turned his back on her, too enraged to answer her disrespect with acknowledgment.

He heard her quiet promise and scoffed. I will kill you, Inuyasha... and Kagome. he vowed.

He was restrained from hurting the woman and her twin. Those were the limits of this curse. He tested them, taking one with the intent to throw them off of a cliff. He was burned back and she cursed him and threw him back with a shocking wave of power.

She had turned her back on him, again. They both acted as though he were not even there and yet talked of him as though they expected him to answer them from his place stalking them. Always one of the twins had the boy within their reach. He watched as they coddled him and doted on him caressing his tears away and soothing him as if he were a human child. And the boy only demanded more.

Inuyasha smelled the scent of his brother, and the hatred from him and wrinkled his nose from it. It was a terrifying scent next to the soothing aura and warm embrace of his two caregivers. In a sense he understood that they were not his mother, either of them, but he felt their love and clung to it as a lifeline trying to strengthen and grow

Once and awhile amber eyes would meet and inuyasha would peer at him, afraid, from behind the fabric of a sleeve or through the black hair that was usually tied back out of their faces. Sesshomaru would growl a low warning and his eyes would turn out of instinct, but his growl would earn the unamused stares of the women and he would turn his focus on them.

Kagome and kikyou began to hate him more with each passing day. He intercepted the food they scrounged for, and slapped it to the ground. Every shelter they built was destroyed before the first night was spent in it. with malice they began to construct things made to withstand his tantrums and carved sutras into the wooden pieces to keep him from smashing yet another thing into the ground before they could find some peace.

Kagome found her ties to him to be unbearable. At night he transformed and keened eerie tones through the night that would keep them awake. During the day he prevented travelers and tradesmen from coming across them until the mountain was named after the terror that he layed on it.

It took kikyou and kagome three weeks to build a structure he could not smash. Each board and fastening was etched in charms and sutras and when they were done they dared him. He tried and with each slash of his claws he became more venomous until poison melted the ground around their new home but the structure was unharmed. Kagome sighed and he lunged for them, swiping at inuyasha with his claws after the child had dared to lean out of her arms and she covered him with her form.

" I will kill you." he growled to the infant. Inuyasha screamed.

Kikyou, having had enough of his antics grabbed a plank of wood from the ground and threw it at his head. He swatted it out of the air. " don't you speak to him." she said angrily and went to kagome with a flask of water. When she reached for it he slapped it from her hands spilling their last reserves onto the ground. Kikyou cursed and turned on him

" kikyou, it's not worth it." kagome said drawing her sister back from another argument with the demon. Kikyou was usually the more level headed of the two of them but the presence of this demon, the hunger that had began to get to them and the needy infant. She was looking for a fight worth exploding over.

" kagome, this demon will kill us, not by his claws, but I can see it. Hes toying with us as though it were his curse." she reasoned and saw the tiredness in kagome's eyes,

" I know, but I don't know how to undo it and I can't just let him have inuyasha. I won't. You see him. He has no remorse, he will torture him." kagome urged turning the child from the demon who had them locked in his sight.

" he is torturing us." kikyou said and pulled her into the hut away from his red tinged eyes. He slipped closer and heard their soft whispers. They were chanting and he stepped back knowing that the two had a power when combined that burned him almost to the point of unbearable pain.

Kyou scribbled a spell that could stop him in place and kagome chanted to disorient and seal their magic in him. Inuyasha's ears were affected by the charm and he cried softly disturbed by the spiritual tones.

Kikyou finished the spell and she went out to the demon.

Sesshomaru smirked at the attempt. They had tried endlessly to seal him , but he had only torn their sutras out of the air and destroyed whatever he saw would do the most amount of damage. The dark eyed one was cunning, and he saw her deviousness though she masked it well with the veil of logic. She charged him and he met her with his claws trying with all his will to strike her. He stopped. Frozen in place and she screamed in his face, victorious and exhausted to a tee.

So help him when the sutra was removed he would make them pay beyond any of the games he played during this last weeks. His temper flared and even Kikyou, sure that he could not escape, yet, backed away from his still form.

" kagome, it worked." she called and heard the wail of relief from her sister. Kagome ran out with inuyasha tucked against her chest and looked on his statuesque appearance. She sighed and sagged yawning and feeling the pains of hunger from her stomach.

" there is no food. This demon, has destroyed everything not charmed down." Kagome glared at him and he growled through the sutra making her jump back with Inuyasha.

" Serves you right." Kikyo said as she led her sister and the infant into the hut.

Three days they left him there without even so much as a second glance.

Kikyo and Kagome divided their forces and began to recreate the things that Sesshomaru had destroyed time again. Like, their utensils and bowls and and, other wooden things that could be gathered. The second was spent in foraging and hunting. They built a fire and began smoking things to keep in reserve and he watched them bury the wooden containers sealing them with the same charms and glance at him cursing his destructiveness.

The third day inuyasha was out of food and they had hit a wall in making tools for farming and hunting. He found some sense of amusement when they tried to venture down to the village and found that she could not walk further than the border of the yard. Kikyou went to the place where kagome could no longer pass and frowned.

" I know, kikyou. I have really done it this time. Since he's been sealed we have been able to have peace, but he is still there and bound to us." she shook her head and Kikyou shook her head.

" I do not know why he can not hurt me, but Kagome you sealed him. He is bound to you." she whispered and took a step back from where Kagome stood still and walked further than her twin who stared on with hurt eyes. She nodded.

" he is bound to me... oh Kikyou. What have I done. I only wanted to save Inuyasha." she cried and reached for her sister. Kikyou went to her and held her as she cried and glowered at the demon who stood still behind Kagome with raised murderous claws.

" we will find a way, Kagome. What will we do now that we know you cannot leave him?" she asked and Kagome swallowed down the lump of fear that held her tongue.

" you will have to go to the village. We have to be able to feed Inuyasha, and we are low on so many resources." she sighed. She didn't want to look at him. He terrified her. The nights where he kept her awake with eerie howls and the scraping of claws. The sound of growling and the threats he made chilled her to the bone and caused the worst of nightmares.

Fear. He smelled fear. It surged through his senses and roused the beast in him to rise and battery against his senses. Meditating these three days, he had gathered power together from the depths of his being and focused on the sutra that barred his movement.

Kikyou gathered Inuyasha and the things that she needed to travel back into the village and she drew another sutra in case this one failed. Kikyou went to where Sesshomaru was and looked him in the eye through his inanimate stance. " if you hurt her... I will make sure your life is hell as long as I live I will curse you and search for new ways to make you suffer. If she dies, you become bound to me, we are twins after all. But, I am not as kind as my sister is." Kikyou hissed.

She was protective of her sister. He could see it in their everyday interactions. Kagome was the younger of the two. Kikyou was normally calm, with the ability to step back and look at the projects ahead of them and figure out a way to do them. She had suggested the sutras on the planks and it had been his bane. Kagome was passionate. Moved to tears and laughter so easily that he was amazed that one being could contain so much. She was infuriating. Annoying him all day with her happy songs and childish playing with Inuyasha. He could not even turn away during the days he was sealed and he wished that he could at least close his eyes from the disgusting sight but he could not. Yet.

Kagome watched her sister go and turned back to the hut that was built to the best of their ability. She walked past the demon male and tried to keep the fear from her face as she walked passed him into the hut and shut the door. Breathing a sigh of relief Kagome looked out of the window to the still form of the demon and gulped down the fear that stilled her.

She went to lay down on the straw beds at the end of the room and tried to close her eyes for a while. She calmed down and felt for the raging hatred of the demon. He was battering against the restraints of the sutra and she could feel his will, beginning to win over their restraining sutra.

Kagome swallowed the anxiety and went outside.. there were still pieces of rubble scattered around the narrow yard and road. She tried to ignore the demon and she began to clean up the space that they intended on living.

Kagome gathered wooden splinters and metal pieces that had been broken from the last structure. The old man had been furious but then the demon had killed him. There was no one to come after them, except for the village that was at the bottom of the hill. It took hours to walk but a round trip could be done in a day, and so she knew Kikyou would be back before the sun set.. Kagome lit a fire with the small flint and steel and burned away the last pieces of rubble from the demons rampage. She eyed him. "You are an incredible pain in the butt." she said.

He growled.

She took a step back.

"You don't scare me!" she shouted angry and not wanting to be bullied by this demon from his frozen place in the yard. She even considered decorating him as a permanent fixture and replacing the sutra as he powered through them. She felt him powering through the charm and wondered if they would be able to store their supplies and seal them before he emerged. He would be mad, she understood that he was hungry for blood and did not rest for tormenting them. How could someone be so evil. He hated Inuyasha, but what had a newborn done to warrant being killed. Was it racism? Was It so important to be a pure demon or human that you had to murder a child without cause?

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Acting so badly. What does your mother think of your attitude?" she muttered thinking that he could not hear her. He growled.

" ...Oh you can hear me from here. Well... good someone should have told you this a long time ago. You should treat people with kindness. Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?... Do you even care?" she asked

She was met with only the same murderous stare that had been in place for days.

" I should purify you." she said and went to him raising her hands and drawing power to her fingers and chanting a spell that would purify a demon half as powerful as he was. She didn't know if she could do it alone, but just trying would cause pain beyond any that he had felt thus far. She nearly reached his chest with her fingers and then drew back. " ...It would hurt..." she thought aloud and sagged. Groaning. " Why couldn't it be Kikyou. She would do it. She would do it now if I didn't stop her. Why do I stop her. Why can't I just purify you and be done with it all!?" she asked herself, ranting to the stillness around her. She hated being alone. And the demon was no company. " You're a great companion. Slapping food onto the ground, and spilling water! You make me so angry! It's been three days. Are you hungry? Do you need water. I have thought about these things often and yet I believe you would take joy in watching me starve and dehydrate to death." she was shouting at him. Panting Kagome calmed down and " where is your decency? Do you even have a heart.?" she asked

Sesshomaru's finger twitched and she swallowed down some of the anger she was taking out on him she drew her hand through her hair and laughed hollowly. " I should not be so angry with you, you were probably treated the same way."

He wished she would stop talking. He wanted her to leave him alone and take her rage to someone else. Her words echoed his mother's and he felt rage that this human would try and befriend him. He was going to kill her. Did she not understand what he was.

Growling he began to move. She scurried back and scrambled for the other scrap of paper that carried the second seal. She felt the rage like waves and he began to transform out of the seal before she could find the sutra.

" You know nothing. If I could kill you a thousand times It would not sate my hatred for you." he said and reached for the sutra and shredding it. He fumed. It had been three days, of watching them, three days of listening to them simper and whine about common human problems like food and shelter. And then the incessant ramblings.

" I didn't do anything to you!" Kagome yelled.

Sesshomaru was not going to be yelled at by a human, woman or otherwise, " you are standing in the way of my revenge." he snarled raising his hackles and flexing his claws. He could smell her fear of him. See it in her frightened eyes and the way she stepped backward at his advance. He wanted to hurt her, but could not.

" You cannot hurt me, you're just trying to scare me into being afraid of you!" she tried to stand up for herself and Sesshomaru smirked.

" You are afraid, Kagome. You are terrified in your sleep and every time I flex my claws your heart races. You are correct to be afraid. I will eventually watch you die, even if I cannot be the one to kill you. Just you wait." he said and turned his back on her.

Flexing he was glad to move. Being still had been one of his strong points during his training but the days frozen in inanimate stillness had his muscles aching like they hadn't in decades.

" of cores I'm afraid. You say the most terrible things. How can you be so cold. Can't you see the life that Inuyasha could live with the two of us." she tried and he barked silencing her and nearly covering his ears from the annoyance.

" shut your mouth. Stop talking!" he urged and threw his fist through the tree beside him. She gasped and jumped startled. He turned and jumped into a tree trying to ignore her now.

She chased after him. " why are you so mean!" she accused him.

He would not grace her with even a glance and turned his back on her. He wanted to run but he felt the tug of the curse and resentment and decided that instead of listening to this wench bitch about everything she didn't like about him, he would sleep.

Kagome almost felt relief when he stilled in sleep. It was the first time since he had begun terrorizing them that he had taken his eyes away from her.

Kagome went back to the hut exasperated and looked for the sutra that Kikyo had given her. She flt foolish for having gone out so close to him without checking to make sure she had it with her. She swore and sagged. There would be hours before her sisters return still. " two and a half days." she said looking at the paper charm. " and he will only become more resistant to it." she crumpled the charm in her hand and heard the bay of wolves in the distance.

Shivering she wondered if the scent of a dog in their territory would drive them away or bring them closer. She got her answer when the howling sounded around her hut and she felt the murderous intent and heard the clawing against the boards of her structure.

Sesshomaru turned when he scented the demon wolves around the space of the woman's dwelling. He smirked and released a scent to disorient and enrage them. He turned to face the action and propped his head up on his fist.

The wolves stalked around the hut and beckoned her out. One stalked the window and the shutters rattled. He smiled when he heard her scream and saw the small glow of spirit magic to ward them off. Sesshomaru released more energy and riled them into a frenzy until they were ramming against the door and using demon strength and power to break open the door, the seal broke and three large males drug her from the hut. He sat up.

Fighting with the magic drawn to her fingertips kagome burned them over and over again but the numbers overwhelmed her and she began to feel the tearing of her claws and she was bitten. She sceremed her pain when her leg was torn open.

There was blood. Sesshomaru smelled the scent of it and was hungry. The woman was fighting hard. He had to admit that against a pack of wolves even he had seen demons die, but the woman starved most of their attacks off, even with the gash in her thigh and upper arm. She began a chant and he covered his ears at the low tones and eerie chill that ran through the area.

Kagome raised her hands and shouted words sesshomaru could not understand and the wolves were destroyed around her and vanished in her flash of light. She fell back to the ground and passed out.

Blood. There was so much blood. He could scent her life spilling onto the forest floor and jumped down from the tree to walk over and see how close she was. Her face was smeared with mud, her robes torn from the attack and blood stained stark white cloth. Her breathing was shallow and he sat not far from her and waited until she would take her last breath.

He watched her for hours.

When would she die already?" he asked himself. Her breathing had evened out, and though her energy dwindled, he felt her holding on as though to an anchor. When he thought he might get up and walk to the treeline again he heard her soft voice.

" kikyou. Kikyou." she called. She had awoken to the pain and was now screaming and wailing her pain. She sobbed and tried to gather herself but the pain overridden everything else and she tried to move. He turned and watched her struggle from the ground and try to stand. " kikyou" she said breathlessly through the pain and collapsed to the ground again. " kikyou. I'm so sorry." she said and fell once more into unconsciousness.

Somewhere deep inside of sesshomaru, in a place that had been buried long ago, he felt the waves of her pain, as a small reminder. Watching her, and hearing her call for her sister begging her forgiveness, she had reminded him of pain. Not of the physical pain his father had dealt him, it was a different pain that he dared not think about, hadnt thought about since before i fa ther had begun his training. Suddenly he saw his mother, she had held him with the same sadness when he had gone to live with his father. She had begged him to remember what she had taught him... what had she taught him? He had forgotten after all.

Turning his back on her he tried to walk from the clearing but as he reached the treeline he was stopped by the force of the curse. He was not able to escape her. He could not leave behind the raw emotions that she used as a weapon against his resolve.

He sat and watched her from a distance.

Kagome woke at midnight to the gentle caress of her sister's hands. " oh kagome. I should not have left you. Where is the demon? Did he do this?" she asked and began to heal kagome's broken form. Kagome gasped. She had been crying in her sleep from the pain she was in and could barely speak.

" he didn't do this, there were wolves. I destroyed them. I didn't want to kill them but I had to." she said sitting up and bringing her hands to cover her face. Kikyou looked on at her sister with understanding. Kagome wasn't a killer. She hated to kill any kind of life whether they deserved it, or not. When she was healed enough kikyou helped her inside and they resealed the door so they might be able to have peace.

" inuyasha," kagome whispered and reached for the boy who was beginning to grow. He smiled at her and yawned reaching back. When kagome could lay down she held inuyasha to her chest and rubbed his hair letting the softness of his skin soothe her heart. She had almost died, she had felt the cold wave of it and she had done everything to live until this moment. " I love you, so much. I want you to be happy." she whispered.

Outside the hut Sesshomaru spied into the hut. He considered transforming and baying until the morning, but he stilled at her words. I love you... I want you to be happy. Those had been the words of his mother. He looked down at his hands and took a few steadying breaths. He wanted to go to her. Demand that she explain to him once more what he was supposed to be happy about. He remembered her words to that question." it's hard to explain, " she had said " perhaps someday you will find something worth protecting." she had kissed his forehead and coaxed him into resting with her in her arms. Those memories caused a warmth to fill him that he had almost forgotten about.

" Something worth protecting, mother?... that had been what father said", he thought and felt rage renewed. " he wants me to protect my brother? You want me to protect something that will make me happy? That is ridiculous, this is what I am" he spat and turned back to the trees. He had to find a way to break this curse, and fulfill his vengeance, for his mother, and himself.


	5. Your name is Sesshomaru

Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn. He thought watching as Kikyou made a border around their home with a string of charms that prevented him from entering the clearing or using the roads to and from the village.

Coal eyes never left him for long after her return from the village, before she had been annoying, challenging him constantly and yelling at him as no one had ever dared to before. After she returned to find her sister injured and clinging to life, she had turned cold. kikyou attacked him with her magics, knowing that he could not subdue her and did her best to even the score between them. He could feel the burn of the purification she had attempted-he had said nothing, not even flinching when the pain came but her fury was unmistakable.

"Damn you, damn you. " she cursed him. Wiping the sweat from her brow she continue to drive another stake in her makeshift was sick. She was bedridden and though the wounds had healed; she had spent many hours out in the cold and rain unconscious.$$$$

"why don't you just give up and go back to whatever sorry excuse for a life you had before?" she seethed as he sat watching her movements. kikyou tied sutras onto the long cord she had picked up, and fashioned them from tree to tree around them to create a physical barrier between him and them. he scoffed covering his annoyance.

" you think you can escape my wrath, but you have no idea what i will do when this is over." he promised. he smirked when he heard the acceleration of the womans heart. she clenched her teeth and sent an orb of power to make him back off. he took the minor pain to the chest and breathed through it. this pain was nothing compared to what he had endured before.

Kikyou turned her dark eyes on him and threw her stake down having had enough. She pointed her finger at him and her brows drew together in rage. "You do not even realize who you are tormenting. Kagome has never done anything to anyone, beyond what she felt was the best thing. Even... no especially when it's at her expense. you don't know what we've gone through to even get this far in life so if you'll excuse me I have a barrier to erect." she huffed and grabbed her tools moving to the next place and driving another stake into the soil.

Inside the hut Kagome sat up in her bed sick from her stay outside in the cold after her attack. Inuyasha was almost three months old at this point, ten weeks old, and already he was starting to sit up and play with things within reach. He moved onto his hands and knees to try and crawl but he had been unsuccessful so far. Kagome watched with pride as he made the motions that his body would eventually need to move around. _That means walking._ She thought and wondered how long she would be able to keep him within reach to prevent his brother from killing him.

she thought about the barrier kikyou was erecting and was unsure of its effectiveness. sure it would give them some space but it also meant being trapped within the area of this border. closing her eyes she envisioned the demon, his hardened eyes the chill of his voice and swallowed down the anxiety that that image brought up. he was impossible to live with. intentionally terrifying her until she could barely look at him. he was the star of every nightmare, and it wasn't getting any better.

" what am i going to do?" she said aloud..

That night as the demon keened into the night, Kikyou sat up and watched Kagome. She was sweating, trembling, and coughing from her sickness.. The cough had been unrelenting for hours and Kikyou was beginning to be worried. Through the night Kikyou lit incense and boiled tea to try and soothe her sore throat, but Kagome was still so weak she barely responded to the treatment.

In the morning the fever had risen and Kagome was struggling to stay awake. She deliriously called for their father, as she did when they were young. kikyou recalled sick days spent in comfort, with her sister and father nearby to soothe her worries, it had been a long time since she had felt so cared for. wiping the stray tear from her cheek kikyou tried to calm her down.

"It's okay, everything will be fine Kagome. I need to get you some medicine." she whispered smoothing her hair back and raising her head into her lap.

"Will you leave Inuyasha with me and father?" she asked and Kikyou shook her head.

"You are too sick to watch him, and you know father. He is always daydreaming. I will take him with me. Do not leave the hut. " she said firmly but gently laying her back from trying to sit, again.

Kikyou had no choice she had to get something to break the fever. Inuyasha crawled to where Kagome was lying and looked down on her face with curious eyes. He pawed her hair, grabbing a fist full and bringing it up for inspection. He liked how shiny it looked and made sounds of interest as he raised his hand to his mouth. Kagome winced when Kikyou gently untangled her hair from Inuyasha's clawed fingers. He clapped his hands at the show of attention and went back for another try.

Smiling Kikyou scooped him up and gave him a small toss catching him and making him burst out in gales of laughter.

" Father, I want to play with Kikyou too. May I get up now?" she asked and Kikyou stopped seeing her sisters dazed eyes light up.

"No, you mustn't. Kagome stay in bed. Here is some water. Drink it slowly, okay." Kikyou said and moved a bowl of water close to where she was. Kikyou gathered Inuyasha to her, wrapping him into a sling that held him to her front and gave her the use of her arms. taking one last look at kagome, kikyou opened the door.

He was nowhere to be seen,

 _good._ She thought and closed the door firmly behind her.

Sickness. He turned his nose from the scent and watched through the filter of the trees branches as Kikyou left for the town. It had been ten days since she had gone the first time and he wondered why she left her sister in such a vulnerable position. He tried to follow her and spy out where she was actually going when the tug of the curse pulled him back from moving further

He was irritated. He could not stop the pains of hunger that stirred him or move beyond that point to find any big game. he felt his body weakening from the lack of nutrients and every movement lessened his strength. he wished that she would have died when she was attacked. he had watched and listened to the life draining from her. yet, here she was still, and he was no closer to killing inuyasha. Standing he jumped down from the tree and went to the barrier.

" woman! get out of that hut now." he roared. hunger

"father, kikyou told me to stay, i feel so weak!" she called back deliriously. he growled and tried to shake the trees that held the sutras barring him from dragging her out of the hut himself.

Reaching out he touched the outside of the boundary and felt the electric shock that shot through him. He stepped back. This one was as strong as the rage used to place it.. Smirking he mulled over his situation and tried to find a way out.

"You should have died. Why did you live? What do you have to live for, so much you turned back from death." he wondered.

There were several hours before Kikyou arrived back home. She had a man with her who looked at their barriers as if it had been overkill for whatever demon lay behind. his attitude was flippant, looking forward to meeting kagome more than doing his job, though he had made an effort to speak to her awa well.

"Sir Hojo, even walking into this forest is taking your life into your hands, I would have gladly taken the medicine to her." she had reasoned with him, but the young man was determined to tend to kagome himself. So Kikyou fashioned a charm to ward off evil and lead him up the long journey to their home.

He went eagerly. almost skipping as she lead him back to their hut. Kikyou suspected that he was a young man that Kagome had met as they passed through the town to gather supplies and arrange their lives new here. Kikyou sighed, her sister was always picking up strays.

When the hut was in sight Kikyou reached out and grabbed him back. She pointed into the trees where the demons energy raged and told him of the danger. He nodded, unconvinced but gave the area a wide birth as per her example. " I will consider this demon, perhaps I might help you to purify it?" he asked and she considered for a moment.

"Perhaps, but Kagome is my first priority." she said and let him in.

Kagome was half out of bed and her water was spilled across the floor. Kikyou rushed to her and began sopping up the water. The healer went to her and felt for her temperature. He frowned and withdrew his medicine bag. kikyou was glad when he didn't waste time talking and began to work. kagome responded reluctantly, thinking that it was the demon in the hut with them, but kikyou calmed her down.

Outside of the barrier Sesshomaru smelled the scent of a human male. He watched through his half closed eyes and growled. He was beginning to get angry at the pains through his stomach. It took him back to a place that he hadn't revisited within himself since he was a child.

He was starving. He could not hunt,especially when the human woman was bedridden and he no way to force her out far enough for him to find fresh meat or water.

sesshomaru snarled and turned away from the hut. the smell of the herbs the healer used burned his nose, made his stomach turn and he was even more sick. " when you emerge, i will have my vengeance." he said not really believing it. it had been weeks, these women were cunning, avoided him and warded him off as though he were not the son of the most high general.

" what am i even doing here." he raged at himself.

Watching his practiced hands, Kikyou observed him as he prepared his medicine, taking notes for the next incident, just encase. She felt the demon rage outside and saw Kagome react with fearful grasping. Taking the healer's hand as he tried to make her drink she begged him to chase away the monster. " father, there is a monster outside. He howls and destroys everything, he is mean and scary." she cried, Kikyou nodded eyeing the healer to see if he was listening.

he was not..

"The demon can't get in here, Kagome. We are safe." she said and took the drink form the healer and tipped her sisters head back making her drink it all. Kagome sputtered but then as the medicine began to soothe her aching throat and chest she began to calm down.

"Well, that is my most powerful medicine, I believe she will pull through pretty quickly, she is strong." he said and smiled. Kikyou looked out into the dimming night time and to the place where the demon was...still.

"I don't believe I remember your name, sir doctor." she said and he smiled and waved his hand as though it were unimportant.

" I am Hojo, my family have been healers for generations, it is as much apart of me as breathing. Please it's the least I could do for her. She healed my broken arm in the village... you see I'm kind of clumsy." he scratched his head and Kikyou held back her smile.

"Yes. That sounds like her, She certainly is special." she agreed and looked to her sister's sleeping form. " Sir hojo, you should stay for the night, I must put Inuyasha to bed, please stay and journey home on the morrow." she said and he blushed when his eyes drifted to kagome's sleeping form. Kikyou didn't miss this but she chose to ignore it given the circumstance.

The morning,

It was the eleventh day without food and he was beginning to lose his mind. He watched the interactions between the healer and the sisters from his perch. He saw Kagome sitting up and scented the reduced fever of her overheated body. He glared wanting her to get out of bed and get out there already so she could die today.

"Thank you, Hojo. i was really in a bad way.." Kagome said sitting and looking a the young man, she had remembered him and had greeted him with a smile that made his face turn scarlet. Kikyou snorted and went to sit by the fire while her sister and the healer caught up.

"It was noting, I wanted to thank you for the healing you did for me, I was so grateful that I wanted to come here myself to see you were okay. I must say that living this far away is dangerous, is there anyone else here to protect you two." he asked and was met with uncomfortable glances from both sisters..

"The demon is dangerous, he seeks to kill this child and we are protecting him as his caregivers. Out here is where he can grow without being tormented by humans or demons, at least most of them." she explained and saw the somewhat disbelief of the man's face. Kikyou sighed.

"Is there any relation, maybe the demons father?" he suggested though he found the entire thing dubious. Kikyou was beginning to get annoyed with him.

"He is the child's brother, he is full demon." she said and saw that the man was surprised. She nodded and peeked through the shutters to where the demon lay. she didn't see him but she felt his rage and resealed their hut.

"Who is he, what is his name. If you have that you may be able to trap him." he said and went to the window with Kikyou. it was a fragile science that depended on the strength of the binding and the power of the demon. kikyou shook her head.

"it won't work. We have already trapped him, " Kagome said yawning. " he is bound to me." she said and feeling the weight of this binding.

" ...to you? As what your companion? Your lover? What have you bound this demon to you for." he threw his hands through his light brown hair and backed away from the window. He could not feel the presence of demons like a priest or a mage could, but he didn't need to when he heard the threatening growl through the trees.

" I wanted to protect Inuyasha,"

" you have spared his life, now what will you do. When the child is old enough, he will want to be able to run and play, but there is no place for him if the demon is all around, and even more when he is bound to his guardian." Hojo looked at the child. He still didn't know how he felt about it, but the child was adorable and he could see how much she obviously cared about him.

hojo went to where kagome was and sat next to her. he reached for her hand and boldly squeezed it with affection. she felt her heart race when he touched her. shyness and intrigue made speaking difficult, but stumbling over a few words she managed to make him smile. when he did she took in a breath at the sight of his warm eyes. she let go of his hand and turned from him to regather herself. she chastised herself, for getting to excited over this attention. it had been a while, but with her life in chaos as it was she did not see any good coming from bringing another person into her life.

Hojo stayed with them until breakfast was over, though the sun had been up for some time now, demon had not appeared and Hojo was beginning to feel as if it were not as serious as they had made it seem. Kagome was strong enough to walk by then and she emerged from the hut with them.

laughing inuyasha squealed his delight at being put onto the grass. he felt the matted blades beneath him and sunk his claws into the black soil. it smelled good to him. feeling the earth and grass in his hands he brought a large handful to his mouth.

"Hey, you can't eat that." Hojo bent to him playfully and reached to rid his hand of the grass clump. Kikyou smiled and stopped him.

"He is a dog demon, he may have an upset stomach." she mirrored her sisters thoughtful expression and hojo found his breath caught in his throat. for a moment and Hojo found himself wondering which twin he really wanted. kikyou was so mature for her age that he felt in awe of her, but kagome's heart was written on her face, he liked what he saw.

Sesshomaru sented the arousal of the human male and turned his eyes to stared at the intruder offended. the male had no claim to the woman and yet in sesshomaru's eyes, he acted as if they belonged to him. These human woman were sesshomaru's to kill, and the healer would know this soon enough.

for now though sesshomaru was starving He would have to drag her away. He had to eat... soon. He had already begun losing strength and his energy was fading. This was exactly the feeling that he had tried to forget about. Gnawing hunger batted his resolve, he was beginning to be desperate. He remembered his first kill then, he had been starving, much less than he was now and it had been that desperation that had brought his father's attention and changed him.

He bitterly watched as the woman played with the child, excited about the whelp standing on his own for the first time. He didn't recall the same enthusiasm when he had begun to move. His father had been callous and even as an infant he had known what the hatred of his father was like. Inuyasha had no one to hate him, except for him

His mother had been furious, she had turned her back on him and called him a fool. Was he a fool?he was only living as he had for the hundred and seventy three years of his life, he had been molded into killing perfection, it was his name after all.

They should be proud of him. He had reached the status of his father in less time, he was terrible and cruel and every bit as vicious as any inu demon had ever dreamt of being. Why then were both of his parents so upset by him living up to their expectations?

He scented when the healer had gone. The girls were meandering about attending to chores that had to be done and he watched for his moment. kagome was still weak, she coughed frequently between bouts of energy. he needed to get to her, he would wait for the right moment and if she struggled, he would simply tie her up and throw her over his shoulder.

Kagome felt the tug of her binding. She looked to where the demon was and was compelled to go to him. It had been nearly two weeks since she had laid eyes on him and though she was sure he was still there she felt his energy waning. if he was there he was dying. the thought sent mixed feelings through her.

when she laid eyes on him, she thought he was dead. his eyes were open, looking into nothing as she approached him. " demon?" she said cautiously. his eyes met hers and the breath left her body in a surge of fear. she stilled until she realized he wasn't getting up and then went to him.

sitting against the base of the tree he looked scared, timeless with a beauty of his own. kagome caught herself staring at him, having never realized before that the man torturing her was incredibly good looking- he hid it well behind that snarl, she thought. when she got closer it was with extreme caution, as though approaching a hurt wild animal, trying to make herself as least threatening as she could

sesshomaru responded to her gesture with hesitance. he felt her energy getting close to him and the instinct he had honed told him to flee, while he was in such a weakened state. kneeling beside him she reached her hand out to test his temperature.

. " what has happened?" she asked brushing the bangs back from his eyes. he wrinkled his nose at the gesture and leaned away from her. the feel of his hair being smoothed from his eyes was a familiar, something his mother had done when he visited her. she fussed over his appearance but he never cared about such superficial things.

" this is your fault, now leave me to die in peace." he grumbled trying to make her leave.

" my fault how?" she said incredulously, she sat back from him and waited for his answer before she would proceed.

" you have been in that hut, while i have been in need of -"

" food, your starving." she interrupted him and he growled at the disrespect. " hey now." she crossed her arms.

" do not interrupt me." he said getting angry though his energy was diminishing rapidly.

"poor baby, is that better." she mocked him earning a low growl. she withdrew a kantine and moved to

He scented the water as soon as she opened the flask and his stomach churned thinking about the taste and feel of the cool liquid re-hydrating his cells. But when she leaned closer to make him drink he turned his head and growled a warning.

"Would you stop already. Your dying. drink." she said angrily, but he turned his head again and tried to stand and walk into the forest. He stumbled and she went to him to catch him by the arm and steady him. He wrenched his arm away.

"Do not touch me. I will find food on my own." he said. He would not accept food brought to him by a woman, any woman. He had never even allowed his mother to hunt for him. Where did this woman think it was even acceptable for her to feed him.

"You're so weak-" she tried and he growled and made his will known. She stilled remembering her fear.

"I am not. I will find food on my own." he was stubborn but she saw the desperation in him and was moved to compassion all the more.

"you are strong, I won't take that away from you, but right now you can barely stand. It has been eleven days since I know you had last eaten. if you will allow me to aide you, I will not make the kill." she asked and he was desperate enough to consider her words he looked at her with skepticism. If he had the opportunity to watch them starve he would do so with joy.

"Why help me? If I die now then you will be freed, able to raise the bastard child This is your opportunity to end me." he said knowing that it was as close to truth. He would fight should she choose to purify him but she shook her head.

"Shh. If Kikyou heard that she would kill you." Kagome hushed him harshly. And he was taken aback. "look, I know you don't understand, but I don't just kill for the hell of it."

" I _will_ kill you." he said meaning it.

"Oh I know." she said and waved away his irritation, dismissing it. She went to him with the water once more and he growled.

"Kagome what is going on here?" Kikyou called from the barrier. She stayed back with Inuyasha in her arms. kagome froze, she knew the anger kikyou had for the demon, and she wasn't happy herself, but part of her wanted to mend the relationship rather than continue in hatred.

" im peeing behind a tree." she lied.

sesshomaru looked at her as though she'd grown two heads. " you are not. tell her that i'm dying so you can end me here." he said. her lie had taken him back. he was sure that given any opportunity to kill any one would take it. he had been torturing them, intentionally, and had made it so kagome was truly terrified of him, and yet she was preserving his life? for what.

" shh." she said and

" okay, watch for that demon." kikyou warned her sister. " do you need me to wait for you?" she added

" no, i dont see him anywhere, so i'm going to try and get a bath while i can." she said

" your sick!" kikyou said alarmed.

" i'm just going to clean up. i'll be okay." kagome said groaning. her sister was so smothering at times. she heard kikyo's hesitant affirmation and then the hut door close behind her when she went inside. the demon stared at her as though he did not believe what had happened.

" why are you doing this?" he asked. " i would never show you the same mercy." he said disgusted.

kagome sighed " i am not a mean person. my father taught me that even evil people needed care. it was how i was raised, now i understand that you were raised to murder and shout at people and be obnoxious, but i need you to put a break on that while i get you something to eat." she said. her hand was outstretched for him to take, but he only stared at it.

when kagome tried to force him to stand he wrenched away from her and stood on his own. " i will feed myself." he said unwilling for her to be the one to provide for him. it was unacceptable as the alpha of this group for the weakest member to show him they were in the forest she kept her distance to allow him room to hunt. " demon, do you have a name?" she asked him suddenly. He growled.

" of cores this one is named." he snarled.

" I know that. What is it?" she said exasperated. He was silent.

. " I will kill you before you ever find out." he said.

"it's kind of strange to guess, but for some reason I believe I already know it." she said and he stopped and dared her through the silence of his rage to name him. " Sesshomaru." she whispered.

Sitting in the tree above the line of barriers, Sesshomaru thought. He thought about the racing of his heart when she had said his name. She had guessed? How had she known? He was sure he had never said it aloud in front of them, either of them. but the sound of her whisperer had kept into his mind and set off a cascade of emotions and memories that made him stop and rethink a few things.

given the chance he would have let her starve, it was pure logic to him, but she didn't. even when given the opportunity to end him, with her sister's help, she did not. why? the question plagued him, ate at him until it was the only thing he could think about. " i was raised this way?" she had said. wasn't everyone raised to become as he was, wasn't he supposed to act this way. it was how he survived this long after all. His plan had been to resume his torment, but somehow he looked through the window to the woman with the sea blue eyes and turned away from that plan.

" she is warping me." he said aloud. Inuyasha was still alive, he had not exacted his revenge... so, why did his heart suddenly turn away from the thought of hurting her.

Kagome, who stole from him his revenge, who cared for his brother with tenderness and love, who had reached out to him with a hand of friendship instead of killing him. Was he supposed to be grateful to her for meddling in his business? Was he supposed to return the favor? He nearly laughed at the idea.

He heard them chatting and tried to ignore it but he could not. " … and he said that you should take this tonic twice a day until the coughing stops." Kikyou's voice said quietly. He could tell them apart though almost identical. Kikyou had a more alto voice that, when calm, was soothing, but when enraged brought her victim to attention with a well timed quip. Kagome had a soft voice that was always filled with the emotion she had swirling around in her.

" ...and Hojo wants to return in a few days to check on you. Kagome he's taken quite an interest in you." Kikyou said and Sesshomaru could scent the spike in Kagome's scent, it was uncertainty and excitement at once, it set him on the edge of his branch in irritation. What did he care? He didn't, and yet the thought of that male and the scent of his lust, was enough to make his claws indent the branch he held onto.

" do you think so?' he heard kagome's light laughter and knew she was enjoying the attention. he growled feeling a strange pressure in his chest.

"Oh yes, keep an eye on him, he may just come for your hand one day." Kikyou said and muffled laughter. Kagome gasped and swatted her sister.

" Don't say that, it's so embarrassing. Could you imagine me being married to a healer?" she giggled feeling her insides churn at the thought. id wasn't a displeasing scenario, but somehow her mind was taken from the image of the healers dark eyes smouldering in their interest to the vision of amber and silver. she was surprised at the wave of warmth that the image brought within her. she shook her head, reminding herself that she had been having night terrors about him for weeks now, but somehow she didn't think she would again.

Sesshomaru was brought to attention by the feint arousal that the conversation had stirred in Kagome. It filled his senses and Sesshomaru felt a responding tightening in his loins as the scent wrapped around him, beckoning him to go to her and he almost jumped down from the tree he was posted in. " what am i doing?" he jolted from the tree and landed on the ground with a thump. He tried to get away.

"This can't be happening." he whispered.


	6. Now you mention this?

When she had recovered from her sickness kagome had changed her mind about the demon. it was embarrassing to admit but she kind of liked the way he, reluctantly, began to respond to her random acts of kindness. she lost some of her fear of him when he was incapacitated in the forest, and he seemed to realize that as time passed. his treats were ineffective, his rage caused only irritation in her- he no longer was able to instill the same kind of fear that he had held over her before. he cursed.

this day, Kagome walked with him, she had determined that he needed to hunt with her at his back to ensure that he was properly fed. though he insisted that he could hunt alone as long as she was outside of the hut. she pointed out that his tantrums had chased most of the animals away. she was right.

Sesshomaru walked ahead of her with malice in each step. Three months. He had been waiting for his opportunity for three months. Behind him Kagome sang quietly and he heard the responding calm through the forest that beckoned creatures closer to her. " quiet woman." he snarled and hastened trying to put distance between them. Kagome yelled her surprise as she was yanked forward and made to keep up with his pace.

" my name is kagome, not woman. that is so rude. this would all be a lot easier if you tried to play nice" she snapped and dug her heels into the dirt.

" I am not nice." he growled and reached out and summoned poison to his claws and creating a whip to reach out and snatch a rabbit from running away frightened. It squealed and Kagome turned away when he ate it raw.

He looked down at his claws and summoned the poison whip once more and turned to strike her, this was his oppertunity to end her, she was alone, vulnerable after her time sick, and he was so tired of listening to her whine about his attitude. " I will destroy you for wasting my time." he snarled and drew his hand back.

Taking a step back Kagome chanted and he felt it as she tried to soothe his anger. He powered through it and as he went to strike her down but, he felt a jolt of pain through his body and he was no longer able to summon the poison.

" No! You're not!" she yelled and panted trying to catch her breath from the wave of fear that had just rust through her. " sesshomaru." she said his name trying to make him calm down.

"Do not address me, human." he snapped and turned back to the hut. Today he would wait and finally get his revenge and kill Inuyasha.

"Come on, you must get tired of getting worked up over everything. When was the last time you laughed?" she asked and he grunted. " Sesshomaru?" she said it again and he felt the responding thundering of his heart.

"I would not be angry if I didn't have so many reasons to be mad. Right now I have three." he growled and turned. " I last laughed as I watched the wolves tear into your flesh, and I will laugh again when I crush your broken corps under my feet." he growled. Kagome met his anger with wide eyes not sure anymore if she should be trying to befriend him after everything.

" i remember." she said sombrely " but my father taught me that when someone does something mean, it is because they need to feel better about themselves. you are broken. what would adding to your pain do for me? nothing."

He was going to growl and tell her to shut her mouth. He was going to rage and try for the hundredth time to kill her and rid himself of this nuisance but her words struck a chord with him and he was rendered speechless " you think I am broken?... Stupid human," he shook his head.

He watched them from the tree he had claimed as his own, the women didn't bother him up there and he could think and watch for the opportunities that they gave him.

At six months old inuyasha was beginning to stand and walk a few paces. Physically he began to transform before their eyes, gaining strength and intelligence faster than they could keep up with. His claws were a problem, often puncturing his and their clothing when he grabbed on to things. They became incredibly adept at sewing and mending cloth as he began to walk.

Inuyasha was a happy child, liking to play and explore the different things and places that he observed with his wide amber eyes. In those days Kagome helped him to walk talking his hands in hers and walking him around the yard and letting him feel the grass under his feet.

He would jump up and plant his bottom on the dirt next to where his favorite stick laid. It had small bite marks chewed into the end. His fangs were sharp and to sate the endless gnawing the twins allowed him to chew on it- cried when they tried to take it away.

Making small growling noises Inuyasha played rolling on the ground and clawing and biting the stick that he had saved from the strange tree from the forest. He had plucked it from a sweet smelling sapling that grew along the path to the village. He had remembered the thrill of it because the demon had reached out and tried to kill him and he had narrowly been jerked back from the edge.

He didn't go near the barrier, though he could feel the effects of it around him. Instinctively he understood that their scents were very different, that his own energy was weak in comparison to the demons, but he knew that they were brothers and would look for him through the filter of trees.

" Kagome!" the healer's voice called out from the road to the village

Inuyasha looked up and squealed reaching his hands out for the candy that he smelled in the man's pocket. He had visited often over the past few weeks and had gotten into the habit of bringing him something from the village each time he came to visit.

" Hojo!" Kagome waved blushing. She scooped Inuyasha up into her arms and went to him as he walked up the pathway. He smiled and reached into his pack to give her a gift that he brought for her. It was a small scarf for to keep the chill off of her lungs. "thank you, you don't have to bring me things." she smiled and he blushed shaking his head and making her put on the scarf that he had brought her.

" don't be silly. I want you to have it. Please." he said reaching to touch her upper arm in a show of affection. Kagome smiled.

Sesshomaru eyed the male. He despised the days where he would come to visit Kagome. His scent was insufferable, always scented with the putrid balms he used for healing, not to mention the taint of his lust for kagome. It was personal, He had decided, the intrusion and attempts at stealing the woman's interest was from a lack of respect for the order of things.

He was the alpha of the group, and the healer should be going through him for the honor of mating his victim. Not that he would allow it.

Kagome was his kill, and he would be damned before he let someone else steal her from him.

He felt her glance at the place where he was and hunkered down to escape her sight, perfectly camouflaged. Somehow she always knew where he was, without him making a sound- it disturbed him as much as her accurate guessing ability.

Not so much as watching her walk next to him with her arm looped through his thought, smiling and blushing with the closeness. He heard the acceleration of the healer's' heart and growled. He didn't like the squeezing in his chest that he felt when he saw them together. Growling, he caught the attention of the healer and they turned toward him.

" what is that?" Hojo asked startled and looked to where he thought he had heard the noise.

Kagome waved her hand. " oh that's the demon. He's really not in the mood to see people." she said and veered away from the cold rage that followed her. She was used to it.

Kagome hadn't missed the subtle differences in his behavior. He had begun to accept his place here, letting her walk with him through the forest and was communicating with her-even if it was in shouting and threats, at least he was yelling instead of trying to throw her off of the mountain, It was a start.

" Kagome, I have some food ready for Inuyasha. I'll take him if you want." Kikyou said and took the child from Hojo.

She smiled at the boy and he made a show of pawing her hair and then looking to Kagome and reaching his arms out to her. Kagome rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair tweaking little ears as he giggled, but did not receive him from her sister.

Kikyou smiled and gave her sister a silent gesture toward the healer. Kagome signaled back in the negative and Kikyou sighed. Kagome tried to act as though her heart were not pounding out of her chest from the nervous rush but she felt herself jump when she heard Sesshomaru snap another branch in his claws.

Was he up to something?

Rage. He felt rage and he could not understand why he was being affected like this. Sesshomaru glared into the side of the healer's face and wished he could break through the barrier and throttle him. This was too much disrespect to stand by and allow.

Hojo blushed at Kagome's closeness, she still held onto him tightly and as they walked down the pathway, not really toward the village but just to walk together. He thought about many more days spent this way and smiled. She was chatting about something that he had missed while thinking but he nodded anyway.

"Kagome" he said stopping and turning to her. " I have really enjoyed the time we've spent together. I was wondering If you had a man that you were interested in... or maybe you considered me that man." he blushed and saw Kagome's smile widen.

" Hojo, you are a great guy, who has done a lot to help, but I just do not have room in mobile for another man." she said trying to be delicate with his feelings. Hojo was resilient and he did not let her divert him from his purpose.

Taking her hand in his he gazed into a sea of blue" I would be good to you, I admire you greatly, I have to admit that I think about you often, I can't help it you are so kind and beautiful, I find myself thinking i am very much in love with you." he said bringing her closer, she knew he would kiss her from the smolder in his eyes, and could not back away from him with the hold he had on her.

Hojo leaned forward and cupped the side of her face feeling a sudden rush of nervousness, and squashed it before it drove him back from her.

Sesshomaru felt absolute rage. He dropped to the ground and felt the poison at his fingertips, and went to the place where he could still see the two in a each others arms. He sounded his rage.

" remove your hands at once." he growled earning the attention of the man, who jumped back as though he knew the danger he was in. he did not even realize the stark hatred that he had earned.

Seeing the demon male step from the shadows, he saw a man emerge from the forest. he looked like an ancient portrait of a general, armoured, strong looking, formidable height and stoic in stance and expression. he looked strange with his long silver hair and cerulean eyes. The man emmated hatred and his eyes were trained on hojo.

Hojo pulled back from Kagome and turned her around to see what he was seeing, not sure if what he saw was real "Kagome, who is that?" he asked alarmed, he was not quite standing behind her but did not wanting to receive the full weight of the demons hatred.

Sesshomaru felt his chest tighten when she was turned and he was filled with the scent of her embarrassment. Her lips were swollen from use and she panted softly, as she tried to see what Hojo was afraid of. " What?" she asked. " This is the demon. I guess you have never actually seen him."

"Oh yeah?" he said and felt a little better by her cavalier attitude towards it. Hojo stepped around Kagome to get a better look, she reached out and stopped him from going to the barrier, she could almost see the bloody death that awaited him and felt her heart fall into her stomach.

"Do not go to him. He will kill you... actually you should probably give the barrier a twelve foot clearance, he's pretty fast." she said and watched him blatantly ignore her. " I'm serious!"

"How interesting? Will Inuyasha look like this?' he whispered pointing at the demon and peering at him through the trees.

Kagome shook her head speaking at a normal volume. " Inuyasha is a half demon. They do share traits, like their hair, and eyes, but I think that's because they're siblings." she said.

"he's just staring at us, what's with that." he snorted thinking that he looked silly poised as if he were a statue.

" um… Hojo, don't make him mad." she pleaded

"I'm not talking loud... Can he understand human?" he whispered and Kagome looked at him questioning his intelligence.

" Hojo. Don't be stupid, he can not only understand you, but he can hear you now even if you whisper" she said and nodded to Sesshomaru who was still staring holes into Hojo.

Sesshomaru was angry for days after the kiss. The scent of the healers arousal made him want to murder him with the offense of it. He could still picture her half dazed eyes and the blush that stained her cheeks. He smashed another tree to the ground.

"Why are you so angry?' Kagome called from her place far behind him. He had said that he needed to hunt, but he wanted to think. He had to get away from her.

"I am bound to a simpering idiot." he barked.

" Idiot? That's uncalled for... Simpering, I can understand, But. I'm smart." she defended herself and he fought the urge to turn and begin another argument.

Blue eyes and amber eyes locked for a moment and Kagome felt something else stirring around in him besides that same rage he had constantly shown. " are you feeling okay?" she asked and closed the distance between them. " Sesshomaru, I know you don't have anyone to talk to out here... if you needed to talk to someone I would be happy to listen." she said trying to reach out and touch his arm in a sign of friendship.

He wrenched his arm away and growled. "Do not touch me." he said and challenged her with his glare No, no one touches me, he thought and kept his distance. She was trying to twist him, question all of his actions until he began asking questions himself.

He thought back to the last time he was physically touched by others, his mother. She was the only one that could reach out and touch him, at any time. The only other time that anyone went to touch him was in combat or punishment. He recalled the feel of his father's boot taking the wind from him and flinging him across the training fields, or the weight of that same boot as it choked the life from him until the rage fled his father's eyes and he could get up.

" you hate me right." she said taking a step back to give him some room.

" yes." he growled.

" you want away from me as soon as possible right?" she lead him with her words and he was beginning to be impatient with her.

"if you could not tell, i would rather you die." he made a point to remind her, though he was beginning to feel as if death would be too easy an end to her brand of irritation. he looked at her.

" Sesshomaru, there is a way to get around this binding." she said.

"Why didn't you say this before," he yelled and cocked his fist back and leveled a tree. Kagome stepped back.

" I didn't say anything because, in order for you to have the freedom you want you have to trust me, not only trust, but you have to _not_ want to hurt me." she said seeing how unhappy it made him.

" I couldn't take it off right now if I tried, just for the simple fact that you scare me." she said and Sesshomaru shook his head.

"No... No." he said and grabbed the necklace and began trying to break it for the hundredth time. "this can't be happening" he said breathlessly.

At night he began to dream of his father. He dreamt in agony and in the fear of a child and woke up feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

Weeks were spent in restless nights and painful memories of his past. He recalled in one dream how his father had begun to change, and how he began to soften his heart. To Sesshomaru at that time he had been furious, unforgiving of the flip from tyrant to parent but it had happened. The last dream he had been submerged into a world of pain, he saw his father in the last battle with Ryokusei, but he was the dragon his father was warring with.

Sesshomaru felt the rage of the dragon as he sliced through his father's side and sesshomaru felt the wave of triumph that he would get to deliver the deathblow. But as he changed into another phase of dreaming he saw the world change around him and he saw Kagome.

She was sitting against a tree singing softly when he watched himself walk by and go to her. Big blue eyes snapped up and she smiled reaching out to him. Sesshomaru expected to watch himself strike her down at last, but instead he watched himself grasped her hand making her stand before slowly descending into a soft kiss.

He jolted awake and peered up at Kagome's face as she leaned over him. His head was in her lap. He sat up and put distance between them. "why are you here." he snapped and she looked up at the branch that lay half propped on the trunk of the tree. He had broken it in his sleep.

His heart was thundering in his chest, half wanting to rid himself of the image forever and half disgusted with himself for wanting to return to it. He had never considered himself as one that needed such frivolous things as women, they were a nuisance-and none so much as the one that barred him from his vengeance.

" I heard you fall, Sesshomaru. Are you okay?" she asked and he recalled the scene he had just dreamt and withdrew into himself.

"This one is fine, a fall from that height did not even wake me from sleep." he said and stood. He was trying to calm the pounding of his heart.

Inside the hut he heard Inuyasha cry. Kagome got up and went to the barrier and crossed it. He could tell that Kikyou was sleeping still and so when she disappeared he was not surprised. For the first time he was grateful for the whelp for distracting Kagome.

"Why does she have to be so infuriating." he growled and looked down at his hands. The markings on his wrist shown bright against his pale skin and he covered them with the cloth of his sleeves. They were a reminder of change. It seemed that every time he was compelled to look down at his hands he remembered the night that he had tried to escape his father's reach. He had been broken. His father had broken his spirit and molded him into his mirror image.

" I have become like you.. the one that I hate. I would have killed you. I would have murdered you with my bare hands and watched the smug look fade from your eyes in death... so now that you're gone what do I do now." he clenched his fists and drew blood with the pressure from his own claws.

"What do I do now that my rival is gone and my vengeance is being derailed by two priestesses with more than a little power of their own... Father? " he said and looked into the distance to the place that six month earlier his father had died.

Sesshomaru could admit to himself that there was a sense of emptiness. Emptiness he had tried to fill with the murder of his young brother...but would that be enough to sate the rage of one hundred and seventy years of abuse?

Sesshomaru felt the futility of it. His father was dead. The child was out of his reach. What had his mother told him? Had she seen that this would be his curse should he continue to pursue his vengeance.

"He is dead move on...and live your own life." her voice echoed through his memory and he looked to the hut that housed the one who even cared if he was alive or dead. She feared him. He liked it that way, but was it enough? He thought about the condition of her binding and shook his head.

He wanted to get away from her. But her words were only made more true by the limiting stretch and the constant burn he felt when he was enraged with her.

There had been few people in his life that he tolerated. There were few creatures he enjoyed, mainly his two headed dragon mount, and his mother.

His mother. He wanted to go to her. See that she was well and perhaps she could remind him of things that he had long forgotten about. He tried to remember the warmth of her embrace, and felt the relaxation that came with that memory, but it was accompanied with fear of his father-his mother comforted him mainly after his father had beaten him into a bloody pulp.

Is that how Inuyasha felt. He wondered. The boy feared him. But did he live in a world of fear?... no. those women dotted on and coddled him... he was happy, loved in their arms.

What of him then? Sesshomaru wondered if he even had the capacity to feel happiness, he wasn't sure if he had even felt happiness before, and wasn't even sure what it would be like.

"Happiness? No, I have only ever felt fear." He brooded.


	7. No You are you

At eight months Inuyasha began to walk, he was stronger and bigger then most eight month old children either of the women had ever seen. Kagome and Kikyou laughed loudly as he began to run soon after and they made a game of chasing him around the hut and yard while he laughed just as hard.

"Ma" he yelled as he tripped and fell onto his knees. Both women rushed over to him and met his big tears. Kikyou grabbed him and Kagome checked out his knee while he soaked up the attention like a dry sponge in water.

Kagome laughed when he reached forward and grabbed her robe and yanked trying to get her to play some more. Half way through Kagome's examination Inuyasha broke loose of Kikyou's arms and began to run around the yard yelling and making the girls chase after him, worried now that he pass through the barrier and into the demons hands.

Kagome felt for where Sesshomaru was and knew that he had his eyes open and alert for the moment when Inuyasha would deliver himself into his hands. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at his guardians, he was having fun and could not understand why they're scents changed to have a tint of fear as they chased him. Brushing the barrier with his hands he saw a pretty flower and went under.

Sesshomaru dropped down in front of the tiny inu male. Inuyasha looked up at Sesshomaru with a sense of wonder. He noticed that his hair was shiny and the markings on his face were pretty and he wanted to touch them, throwing his arms up as a sign to be picked up by the male demon he waited.

Sesshomaru didn't know how he felt about the boy wanting to be held by him. It was his only opportunity so far and he could take it... Kagome rushed through the bushes and stopped behind Inuyasha, staring with curiosity as Sesshomaru stared down at him.

"Ma," he said and raised his hands up again, thinking he hadn't been understood.

Finally broken from his trance Sesshomaru growled and sent the boy running back to Kagome. He whimpered and looked at him over Kagome's shoulder when she picked him up and he growled again to establish his dominance.

Kagome looked at him and he could see a small smile playing across her lips. " Kagome! Do you have him!" Kikyou ran up behind Kagome and sighed relieved to see that the boy was safe in her arms. " you will never have him demon." she glared and earned a growl from the demon.

Kikyou took Inuyasha back into the tent and was talking to him about running away from them. He sniffled and Kagome let Kikyou dole out discipline. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru with pride. " you didn't hurt him?" she asked and he turned his back on her not wanting to be questioned.

He remembered looking down at Inuyasha and thinking about himself at that age. He had come face to face with his father, very much like Inuyasha had just run into his clutches, but, his father had kicked him across the tent and demanded he never run from his mother again.

He had thought about that, looking down at the little inu, and he felt his stomach turn at the thought of continuing to be like his father. Two months ago he realized how he had become like the man he hated. And for two months he has questioned all of his actions as to whether they are what he wanted or what his father had wanted for him.

He dreamt every night in riddles, his father appeared as the object of his hatred, he would demand that he declare him his true heir but his father would refuse saying that he needed to become Sesshomaru, a man of his own honor.

Honor? His father had no honor, the man had beaten his child and mate until he was hated, then he made his child into his own mirror image of rage and bitterness. These were the things he remembered about his father.

This day, Kagome walked behind him, prancing and singing as she always did when he heard the sound of a bear. There were three of them, he felt his heart rate accelerate at the thought of all of that meat and he felt the blood lust, but it was doused when Kagome cooed at the mamma bear and her cubs and talked of them as being a family.

" Kagome. I cannot eat when you insist on making everything, your pet along the way." he snapped.

"Oh... well that makes sense... sorry." she said and he looked over his shoulder at her. She smiled apologetically and they left the cubs in the forest behind them as they walked. " your feeling better aren't you?" she asked.

It had been a few weeks since the last tantrum and he no longer, only , shouted at her for communication. He acted as though he were brooding constantly and daydreaming. He was daydreaming now. " Sesshomaru?" she called and ran up to walk beside him, he grunted, trying to warn her from approaching him from behind. She ignored him.

"This one is thinking," he said and tried to walk ahead of her once more. She ran to catch up.

"About what?" she asked, she was feeling talkative, wanting to explore this new side of him that dared to daydream. He had been acting differently, and she had to wonder if it was his way of accepting this situation and trying to make friends.

"Not what who, stupid woman." he snarled and glared at her.

" Sesshomaru... who are you thinking about." she asked slightly angered at his tone. She tried to let it slide.

he growled and thought about telling her that it was her, that he was imagining every scenario to how she could be murdered in the forest with no way for Kikyou to find her. He stopped himself and answered. " my father." he said and she got a thoughtful look on her face.

"He wasn't a good man was he?" she asked and earned his snort.

"No, no inu is good as you think of it, but my father was great." he said suddenly wanting to defend his way of life.

"Did you love him?" she asked

"No." he snapped feeling the rage in him from that question.

"He was your father, you never wanted him to smile at you and tell you that you had done a good job or that he loved you?" she said thinking about her own father before he died.

"My father hated me, as I hated him. There were no words of comfort. Only war." he said and broke ahead of her to walk on his own. Kagome stopped.

"That explains so much." she shouted after him and he growled. " are you and he alike?"

"... no, he would have killed Inuyasha two days ago when given the chance." he said thinking about how he had said Inuyasha's name in place of his own. His father had tried to kill him, in his raging fits, in his harsh training and the starvation, for one hundred and fifty years his father tried to kill him. But Inuyasha was what he had died for, a son born weak, who would never amount to the power of his elder child, no matter what happened to strengthen him.

"Why didn't you?" she asked and made him stop misstep.

"Because I am not my father." he turned.

"No, you are Sesshomaru, you are your own man." she said and smiled warmly Letting her pleasure with him touch her eyes.

The sight of her warm smile made his heart leap. He took a breath and turned on his heel. "Idiot." he snarled and walked away.

He wanted to change but the force of habit had him making the same choices until he was so depressed that he did not want to come down from his tree at all. He glanced to the side to see Kagome and the healer sitting quietly under a small sapling in the yard.

He had been ignoring the ache in his chest from watching the two grow more close with each visit. The man was resilient, though Kagome had never accepted his advances, he did not understanding why she turned him away except for the slightest amount of affection.

He could feel the man's frustration, and see his anxiety when they talked.

Hojo could feel the warmth of Kagome's heart through her words about Inuyasha walking and the things she had trained for in the last few weeks since Hojo's last visit. Hojo was trying to get Kagome to stop talking long enough for him to tell her something. " Kagome." he tried again.

"Oh sorry I was rambling again." she giggled and he blushed at the sound of her laughter.

"That's okay, I like hearing you talk, but there is something that I wanted to ask you, you have never given me an answer about our relationship, I teeter between thinking of you as my friend and my girlfriend, I really like you Kagome, I have to know how you feel about me." he said and Kagome blushed red, she thought she had already made her situation known.

" Hojo, you have seen the demon, I am bound to him, I like you, I do, but I don't think it's fair to bring you into this. You may not take the demon seriously, but for me this is real." she bowed her head apologetically and Hojo looked into the trees to where the demon had appeared to him before.

"What would he care if you had a lover, and Inuyasha does need a male figure in his life. I think I could care for him as much as you do. Please don't turn me away because of the demon." he begged her and Kagome was taken aback.

Sesshomaru was standing on the other side of the barrier from where the man stood. He could not help it. He had heard the direction the conversation was leading to and jumped down to squash the next show of affection with good old fashioned intimidation.

Hojo went to the barrier and put his hands out to grasp it. "Don't" Kagome said trying to stop him."

"Do you _know_ that the demon would hurt me?" he asked and Kagome could not answer him.

" I guess it depends- no I'm sure, he will kill you, please don't go past the barrier. why are you even trying?" she asked.

Hojo turned to her and frowned. " I want to show you that I can be around demons too."

"Not this demon, please Hojo." she went to him and tried to wrestle him back but the healer was stronger then her physically and they ended up breaking through the barrier and landing on the dirt behind it.

Kagome looked down at Sesshomaru's black boots and she swallowed down the dread she felt. " uh, hi demon. How are you today?" she tried to play off the situation, but Sesshomaru ignored her.

Hojo looked up at angry amber eyes and sat up pushing Kagome off his back and sending her tumbling to the ground, he stood without helping her up. Kagome scrambled up and stepped between the men. Sesshomaru looked down at her with boredom but smirked when the man stepped around her. "Demon, I am Kagome's lover, do you have a problem with that." Hojo asked not backing down from the angry stare.

Sesshomaru was on him in a moment with his hands around the man's neck strangling him with his bare hands. Kagome began to panic, she watched hojos face begin to turn blue and his struggling limbs began to slow. kagome did the only thing she knew and understood how futile it was before she tried."Please don't kill him." she cried and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him and burying her face in his shoulder.

A thousand emotions flooded sesshomaru when her arms came around him. she was warm, her embrace was filled with passion, though tainted with fear and unconsiously he began to loosen his hold on the mans neck. she sobbed, into his neck holding on to him with the knowlege that sesshomaru held hojos life in his hands. suddenly the mans life meant nothing to him. there was something else happening that oershadowed his loathing for the healer. He growled, but stepped back, she still had her arms around his middle and he scented her tears like acid burning his resolve.

The healer struggled from the ground and looked on at the two. Mostly at the embrace she held him in while murderous eyes challenged him. Hojo looked at Kagome's arms that still wrapped around the demon's neck and felt the betrayal like a whip striking him on the back. " Hojo, run." she gasped.

He ran. Hojo was gone and Kagome felt relief like a wave through her that he escaped with his life. Her eyes were disappointed and sesshomaru felt angry that he was able to throttle the healer and still did not feel better about her feelings toward him

"do not mistake this for weakness, i would have killed him. even with you crying like a child." he snarled looking down on her sadness with loathing.

" why what did he do to you?" she challenged him and he felt his anger beggining to spike.

" he challenged me. he tried to take you from my clutches and it will never happen." he said with a lttle more feeling than he even realized.

kagome groaned and sat back against a tree. " your mad about the kiss? and about him asking to be my lover? what does that solve, you make it impossible to have one any way!" she yelled angry at him.

" you could have beded him and been done with it, but no i would not have let him live." he growled angered beyond what he had anticipated. just the thought of that healer consumating a relationship with kagome set him into a spirol of fury.

" it doesnt work that way. you should understand, he wanted to eventually become my husband. that is more commitment than a one night bedding." she shook her head.

"But you _want_ him." he said punching a tree and breaking it where his fist collided.

" _How would you know?_ You've never asked me whether I was interested in him or not." she asked offended.

"when he is around I can scent your arousal-" he started

"What!... no... stop!" she said and stood wiping the grime from her face.

" I can sense your arousal for the healer... you want him. Admit it." he snarled and dug his claws into the tree he had just smashed. Kagome shook her head.

"You can't just invade someone's privacy like that, or assume that because I am attracted to a man that I'd jump into bed with him for nothing- I am a respectable woman... Sesshomaru _are you mad_?" she said seeing that as she spoke he became more enraged.

Was he mad? Damn right he was mad. She was defending her scent, the same one that enraptured him and distracted him from his goal of vengeance. She said that she would not bed him and so far she had not, but he could not get the image of her kissing that human fool, out of his head. Sesshomaru tried to stop the emotion in him. He wanted to hurt her for making him feel this way.

"I am enraged." he spat and punched another tree to the ground. Kagome sighed and sat down on the fallen log she patted the spot next to her. He looked at it and remained standing.

"Why?" she asked.

"The healer is a fool." he snapped

"Is that all?" she pressed and he growled " could you possibly be angry at me for responding to the fools attention?" she asked and he leveled three trees around him for the rage that her statement caused. Kagome stood up and looked him square on. " are you jealous?" she asked now making him crazy with anger. She stepped back and watched him destroy things out of rage. She waited until he calmed down and went to him

"Do not touch me, wench." he growled. "To be jealous would be a joke. I do not want you human." he seethed and felt the lie in his heart. Her smile was warm and he nodded accepting his feelings.

"Don't worry, I would never assume such a thing," she said and he growled. " I am proud of you for not killing Hojo. I could have sworn that he was walking to his death when he went to confront you." she smiled

"Why would the human do that?" he said not making it a question but she answered anyway.

"I've noticed that when a man is interested in a woman he does some pretty stupid things to get her attention and show her that he is a man, I believe he was intimidated by you. because you are around me all of the time. he doent understand the whole, you want me dead thing, he thinks you are my lover"she shrugged and looked after him.

" he is a fool." sesshomaru growled.

He thought about how it had felt when she had thrown her arms around him, trying to stop him from killing the healer. Kagome had touched him, and he had allowed it. It was the first time that he was not enraged at the touch of others. he could remember the feel of her arms and the scent of her tears on his neck and touched the place her lips had brushed when she hd begged him to stop.

She was allowing him the respect of a man and did not do things for him, only aided him on doing them himself. She was trying to make him trust her and he felt the response that was beginning to feel natural to him. He scented her near the barrier with Inuyasha, she was singing softly, rocking him in her arms-The boy was sleeping, snuggled into the chest with his hand wrapped up in a clump of hair That he had been pulling on. Kagome looked up at him and he knew that she saw him though he was camouflaged. She smiled.

Sesshomaru felt his heart race, he felt the responding warmth that spread through him and he took the moment for himself. But only a moment. Move forward with your life... your father is dead." his mother had said.

what did that mean to move forard with your life? he had been angry for so long he didnt even remember what it felt like to keep the taint of his rage at bey. he had tried to make descisions for himself, for what he wanted, and was still finding himself measuring everything by the bitterness of his past. " there will be no more looking into the past. father is dead, he cannot tourture me any more and there is no one but myself to take his place. i will not." he descided.

this had been comming for a while. he had meditated on it more often then anything he had ever thought about and was at the brink of even giving up on his vengeance, taking inuyashas life for the pain his father caused. he had spared the childs life already, looked into his young eyes and seen a mirror of himself, somehow it had begun to wear on his heart, he didnt even remember that he had a heart.

He had been a pup the last time he remembered feeling happy, three winters old and his mother was walking with him in the forest. She let him play in the snow and climb the trees that framed their pathway. He was smiling and laughing and throwing snow up into the air to catch it in his claws. He had been elated, Filled with the wonder of playing for the first time in the snow. Her smile, he remembered the warmth of his mother's smile and felt his chest tighten, from the pain of being so far away from her, of having not seen her for almost a year and not knowing if she was being taken care of. He sat up and felt rage at the invasion of another inu in his territory.

There was another inu in the forest and his scent was familiar. He did not have time to jump down before he was assaulted from the side and he turned in ready stance for battle to the death. Sesshomaru looked on at a face that he hated. " Takeda. You are here? Why" he growled and watched the smug look cross the older demons face. Sesshomaru was no longer afraid of the wrath of his rival. There was a century between them in power and he, Sesshomaru, was the more dominant of the two.

Takeda laughed and motioned to the familial scene not far from where they were. Takeda could not pass the barrier any more than he could and yet he acted as though it were a child's defense. " I see you have been busy with this human whore." he snapped and looked down on Sesshomaru.

sesshomaru could scent the arousal of the other demon at the sight of kagome. rage welled inside him, and he did not stop his claws from shooting forward to catch his enemy. "Get out of my territory, I have business here." he growled and reclused into the natural cold stare his father had given him. It seemed to work and Takeda backpedaled remembering the look of feral amber eyes. But looking at him now, the edge seemed to have dulled and so he pressed on.

"What? Isn't that half demon yours. I scent the blood ties. I must say that the woman smells a delicious. I see why you took her. She will be a fine breeding bitch when I take her for myself." he barked a laugh that made Sesshomaru see red.

"Do not touch her." he seethed and felt the squeezing in his chest again. Takeda smirked at the flash of anger and emitted a scent to draw in females. sesshomaru hoped that Kagome's human nose would not scent the draw of the inu male but Kagome looked up and called for him. She did not understand why but she had begun to feel anxiety from the place where Sesshomaru was.

"Demon?" she asked, she hadn't used his name in front of even her sister and now she felt as though she were in danger from more than just the silent rage of her demon companion.

"Kagome stay back." he snarled and she felt the rage and heard the crash of battle. He was fighting, she could hear the trees and rocks and feel the surge of power that told her he was not alone.

Kagome went to the hut and placed Inuyasha on the mat ensuring that he was asleep and then went to her bow. Kikyou watched her movements with curiosity. "What is going on?" she asked.

"I don't know, the demon is fighting something in the woods." she said and ran out to the place where she felt him rage. She crossed the barrier and was grabbed up by a pair of clawed hands. She tried to curse when those same hands brought her to a solid surface and covered her mouth so she could not scream. She looked wide eyed at Sesshomaru's feral anger and realized that it was another demon that held her.

Looking up she saw another inu demon. This one was smiling smugly and looked on at Sesshomaru with malice. " put her down, Takeda." Sesshomaru growled.

"Oh is this _your_ human?" he growled and leaned down to sniff her neck he groaned and licked his lips. "Yes, this is a good one. I can scent her innocence like a precious gift from the kami, this is not your bitch then, cur?" he asked and saw the rage flicker like an inferno inside of sesshaomru. Takeda smirked.

"Put her down." he said. Fighting him with the woman in his hands risked that Takeda would snap her neck before he took the first step. He waited for her, willed her to distract Takada enough for him to get the killing blow.

Takeda turned the woman to face him and dodged the spit that she spat in his face. " oh feisty. I've always enjoyed a fight before breeding. Wouldn't you agree. Shinta. I see you have left her unspoiled but I... I want to taste her... you don't mind do you?" he growled and pulled Kagome forward and kissed her roughly. Sesshomaru scented when Takeda's fang sliced her bottom lip and felt her anger and fear as fuel to the fire of his rage at te scent of her blood, she belonged to him!

"Unhand her." he growled and lunged forward to bury his fist in the side of Takeda's face. He missed when Takeda dodged and he heard the sound of tearing cloth.

" I don't think so, I think, I like this human, she tastes like power. I want her." he said and cupped her breast through the torn cloth of her robe. She tried to scream but he clasped his hand over her mouth again and pulled her back into a raging erection excited by the value sesshomaru had obviously placed on her.

Sesshomaru sented the arousal of his enemy and Kagome's dread. He had no choice but to summon the other priestess " Kikyou." he yelled and was almost relieved to see the woman run to them. She looked at the demon and then searched for her sister. Kagome struggled against the inu demons hold. Ruby eyes stared into the other priestess and he grinned an evil smirk that made Kikyou's blood run cold.

She began a chant and summoned the power to her hands and drew the string of her spiritual bow and shot the demon passing through Kagome's body and striking him with the energy of it. He yelled his agony and released Kagome enough that Sesshomaru lunged for him and the fight became a brawl of tearing claws and biting until the intruder, now bloodied, took off into the distance.

"It serves your mother right to be enslaved by that black inu chief. She is a whore anyway." he snapped and Sesshomaru felt his world shatter.

" mother?" he whispered and roared into the night. Turning on the two women he seethed. " I have to go to her." he said.


	8. mine to kill

Kikyou looked on at the demon with loathing. Kagome was shaking in her arms from the assault she had just endured. The demon was seething mad, and she had little idea as to why any of this had just happened. "Did you not hear me... I need to go to her." he repeated and Kikyou turned her eyes to her sister who panted, her lip still beading profusely. She shook her head.

Sesshomaru could not believe what was happening. As he scented the retreat of the inu male he tried harder to scent for the lie that he had just been told. His mother could not be there, she could not have been given to _him_ after everything. he recalled the careless tactics and aggressive behavior of the chief of the dark inu tribe and was astounded at the demotion in status his mother had undertaken.$$$$$

"Demon, we have a child to protect. We cannot leave here to go between demons." Kikyou said and began to drag Kagome back to the hut. Kagome felt violated, hurt from the rough treatment and she could not think for the pounding in her head. Kikyou dragged her away and with speed faster than either of them could have thought possible Sesshomaru appeared in front of them.

" I need to go. Give me the woman... now." he snarled and reached to grab Kagome from her sister. Kikyou reached out and burned him with a zap of spiritual magic, making him snatch his hand back in pain. She was getting stronger, he would know ,he often tested her defenses... she was easily riled to violence, and He found it amusing.

"Don't you dare touch her. Don't you realize this is your fault, she's hurt... again. You are so selfish! She has put herself out there for you and all you ever think about is yourself. Your grudge. Your vengeance. You have no thought for how your actions affect other people." Kikyou began ripping him apart and Kagome could only stand there and watch as her usually composed sister reverted to someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

" Kikyou."

"No Kagome... demon, you honestly think that I would allow you to take my twin away into your world of war? you constantly rage at her and tell her how much you want her to die. She is my only family!.I would not allow you to take her if the entire world were at stake." she balled her fist and punched him in the chest trying with her might to even make him step back. He didn't down at the place that the woman had struck him, he could still smell the scent of Kagome's blood and he felt the honesty in her actions. he stepped aside.

Kikyou looked at him for only a second and strode past him with Kagome behind.

The night drug on in irritation, and self loathing for hated his father, it was the abuse and torture that drove him to all of this. the rage at his father's betrayal, sacrificing his life for this half breed, all sent him over the edge and pushed him to this point. now his mother was being punished for his neglect of tribal duties.

he couldnt stand the thought of the only person he truly loved being taken from him and placed in someone else's care, and a rival for that matter. He had to escape this binding. Perhaps, he wondered, he could persuade her to take the thing off, would she? Could she? They didn't trust him. He didn't trust them. How was he going to get to his mother? What if it was all a lie, and Takada had sought him out to see where he was and what project had diverted his attention from the one sided rivalry.

He hadn't been home in eight months, and he had been hunting for a month before that and so his mother was truly at the mercy of the tribe leader, who dealt with the inu with a cold calculated manner. He was efficient, a blood heir to their last leader, trained to oversee the warring and status of the inu to ensure the most efficient system. Now that Sesshomaru's father was gone, the leader was down a fine general, and the man to replace him was bound to a priestess who would hinder his ascent into the inu ranks. he cursed the decision to even come here in the first place

Kikyou cursed the demon as she mended the tears in Kagome's robe. She looked on at her sister's bare back and saw the purplish marks from the demons claws, she glowered. " we should have purified him," she said for the hundredth time. Kagome was silent.

"It is our fault that his mother is in danger. He is unable to leave, with the binding spell still active. He is trapped here while his world goes on without him. The other demon was apart of his tribe, they knew each other. I think he was serious about sess-the demons mother being in danger."

"Yeah well he's trying to kill his brother, so how much does it mean to be family to a demon." she snapped and Kagome was taken back.

"You know what father would say, Kikyou. Don't pretend that you've forgotten everything we went through because the last few years have been easy!" kagome said back trying to get her twin to wake up and snap out of her self righteous tirade.

" I didn't forget anything, that the demon, he almost _killed you_ , that he's tried to kill you so many times. Kagome, you can't walk to your death for the demon. Father wouldn't have wanted that either!" Kikyou threw her hands up.

Kagome thought, she recalled the incident where he had spared Inuyasha's' life, then when he spared Hojo's life. He was beginning to change, but was she safe with him? Could she tell her sister that she would come home if she went with him. Actually, going with him would probably mean never coming home, and dying somewhere along the way for the pure reason to be rid of her binding.

Ten years ago.

Twin girls, walked slowly with a man who was weak from sickness. He was tall and dark haired like

.6the two, and it was obvious that his now paled face was once bright with energy and laughter. Kagome, the more sullen of the two held on to her father as a lifeline. She rushed to intercept things so he wouldn't have to bend over and watched the embarrassment play across er father's features.

" I just want to help." she cried when he would turn annoyed eyes on her. He would rescind and reach out for her and embrace her in his ever weakening arms.

" kagome, you are helping. By being with me and holding me through this difficult time. Please don't take away my ability to be a man by doing everything for me. I can't stand you two doing everything for me, when I should be taking care of you."he said and was interrupted by Kikyou.

" father, don't be silly-" Kikyou tried but she was silenced with her father's next words.

" Kikyou, Let a man, be a man. I want to do as much as I can before I can no longer." he rasped with the weakness of his body. Kagome was near tears and she nodded. He was getting worse, every day they searched for a cure to his illness but they traveled in vain, for the thing that was taking their father was of something they could not fight. "after the dishonor I've put you through and the mother you've lost I must protect you still, please never forget that a man's pride is in his care for those he protects."

"Yes father." the twins answered together.

Presently.

It was midnight and Kagome could not sleep still. She turned to where Inuyasha was and reached her hand out to gently rub his back without disturbing him from sleep. She watched for his eyes to flutter and when he remained resting she sat up, and went to the door of the hut to peer out. The door creaked and she knew that she had disturbed Kikyou but the woman turned over and threatened her not to go any where. Kagome agreed.

Out in the forest, Kagome looked out a the damage done by the fight that had happened hours ago. She felt the raging aura of the demon and went to the place at the barrier that she could see him. He was sitting on a branch, high into the tree and staring out toward the east. She felt his dread like a wave.

"have you have come here to release me from my binding?" he asked not in the mood to talk about anything else.

"no, i don't think i can." she called and he snorted. Sesshomaru dropped to the ground and looked down on her with intimidating yes.

"It is of grave importance that I return home." he barked earning a distrusting look, she took a step back from his rage.

" I heard the demon, he could have been lying.." she said and he growled.

"That is precisely why I need to get home." he yelled and she shushed him.

"please be quiet, it's taken forever for inuyasha to settle down." she said irritated.

Sesshomaru looked on at the woman with barely contained rage. He felt swallowed up in the dread of his mother's fate. The leader had offered her to the other chief? Why? Was it his fault for bringing the dragons wrath down on their tribe? He had to get to her. " Kagome I need to go to her. Let us leave. Now" he said and reached forward to grab her. kagome shied away from his outstretched hands and he paused, smelling the fear she had of him still. " i'm not going to hurt you." he tried

" I wish i could believe that ." she said and he turned on her.

" I cannot leave this place without you, do not stand in the way of my familial duties." he said loathing to admit that he needed her.

" Sesshomaru, i have lost people too, I only have one family member left, my sister, who I have lived with from the womb-I cannot leave her without the assurance that I would be safe. I don't trust you not to let me die just because you're tired of dealing with me." She said recalling the siege he had laid on them for the first few weeks he had been bound to her.

Sesshomaru had to slow his breathing down, His head was feeling fuzzy and he felt like he was going to drop. " I have to get to her...will you take the cursed thing off?" he pressed and she shook her head. " I demand that you remove this thing at once" he tried and she looked at him with the same tinge of fear in her eyes. .

Sesshomaru was going to level the entire forest when he realized that he had been acting like his old self again from the moment that his rival had reappeared into his life. He took a few calming breaths and she physically watched him calm from rage and subdue it altogether.

" Kagome, I must get to my mother. She is in danger as a slave to a political rival within my race. There is only one thing that I can do." he swallowed his pride and plead with the woman.

Kagome stared on with wide eyes. He had asked her gently, tried to persuade her with the emotions that were swirling around inside of him-Things that weren't fear or hatred. "Promise me that you will protect me," she said and he turned amber eyes on her and was silent.

Sesshomaru looked after the woman with wonder.

Inside the hut Kagome looked to where Inuyasha was and saw that he was awake. Looking at her and realizing that she too saw him, Inuyasha rolled over onto his belly and lifted himself to a crawl, moving to her. "Mom." he said and raised his arms to be lifted into her lap. She grabbed him and cuddled him into her chest while he made small growling noises.

Kagome was never too tired to hold Inuyasha, his closeness and affection were as much apart of her now as her sister who had shared everything with her from birth. Looking on her sisters sleeping face she saw the worry etched into her dark brows. even in sleep, and knew it was fear that she would leave her sister on a mission of compassion, to be killed.

Well I don't want to die yet. I haven't even heard Inuyasha say he loves me. I want to see him grow up. I want... to live."she said and turned her back to the demon outside. It would be morning soon and she would be faced with another day of his raging temper and the threats that he would only too happily carry out if he were not bound. I wish I could trust you, but I can't, she thought.

Sesshomaru brooded. He knew that his raging temper was not going to get him anywhere with these women. He saw the distrust in their eyes and knew that it was well earned. He did not trust them. He didn't trust anyone. He could not rely on the whim of that soft hearted wench to pursue more vengeance. The one who had taken his mother would pay dearly for this. Protect her? I want to kill her. He thought and then remembered the knot of nausea he had felt when Takada was holding her life in his hands, and when he tried to lay claim on her-It had enraged him to see his rival pawing at her, like she was his to grab. Rage was a constant in his life...so why did this rage feel so much more personal.

"Because she is mine to kill..."he said aloud trying to justify the rage and fear that he had felt. She had been near death. If kikyou hadn't have been there she would have died. Because he could not, would not, protect her from his rivals hands.

She would never trust him.

Why should she?

" I need her to trust me. I have to go to my mother... to know that she is safe." he said to himself and fought the idea of playing nice with these women, well kagome at least. he turned to the hut that housed the twin women he had tried to-wanted to, hurt and thought of raging blue eyes.

Kagome.

It was dawn when he dropped from his place in the branches of his nose used resting place and stood at the barrier. jr beckoned kagome to him with a scent to establish his place as the protector of the group, he had never bothered to hone the use of this scent and so he tried to suppress as much of his normal anger as he could to draw her near. minuted passed before he heard her draw in the scent and react to him with sluggish movements, not even consciously aware that he was calling her and yet awoke and as he had wanted, was drawn to him.

Within the hut kagome stirred from the light slumber she had fallen into. Inuyasha was curled in her lap with his arms sprawled and snoring softly. She lifted him out of her lap and laid him in the nest of covers that had been coiled up in her tossing and turning during the night.

Kagome stood and stretched. She would go out to him now. stepping onto the cool boards of the porch she was greeted with the crisp morning air and smiled feeling refreshed and ready to deal with anything the demon had to throw at her today. "Kagome," she heard him address her through the camouflage of the trees. Stopping in shock, she looked for him, felt for his rage, and found none.

"Sesshomaru? Are you okay, where are you? She asked and he appeared out of the shadow, stepping forward and letting the early morning light dapple his cloths and face as he came into view. His demeanor had changed, she noticed. His eyes were calm when he looked at her and she saw that he was trying to work through something enough to continue speaking to her. " I need to go... I must insist on a...compromise."

" What?" she asked not sure if she had heard correctly. she was unsure of what just happened, it was a rarity to even hear him say anything remotely neutral, to offer a compromise was the closest thing to a miracle she had ever witnessed.

" I will make a blood oath... to protect you." he breathed through the words as though it were physically painful for him to say such things out loud.

"How can I believe you?" she said and he fought the urge to growl. He took another breath and willed himself to take a step forward. he stepped closer to her and watched her crane her neck to look up at him. she wanted to step back from him, afraid that he would take hold of her and throw her from a cliff, but she stayed in place trying to give him a chance to convince her.

" I will make a truce." he said with more conviction. She found herself looking up into eyes filled with conviction, she blushed with the rush of butterflied she felt as she realized he was very serious.. She took him seriously, He was not threatening her. He was not trying to force her into doing his will.

"What truce?" she asked feeling her heart thump against chest. he noticed the spike in her scent and began to react to it himself before he could stop himself. reaching for her he took her arms in his hands and pulled her closer to him. scenting her quickly before she started to struggle and the scent was once again laced in fear. he felt annoyed by her reaction, but pushed it aside in favor of something more important.

taking a breath, he thought of something that" I will wait until Inuyasha is strong enough to fight me before I kill him." he said and met an unamused look from kagome. " get me the pup... I will prove this to you now."

"What if I give him to you and you kill him?" she asked and he nodded.

"I will not kill him until he can stare this one in the eyes as a man." he said and kagome gasped feeling the tides of fate turning.

" if you let me down Sesshomaru I will never forgive you." she said and then called for her sister to bring Inuyasha out.

Kikyou peered out of the hut and eyed the two wearily.

" Bring me the pup." he said an Kikyou snorted.

"For the hundredth time... NO!" she yelled an Inuyasha woke crying. Kagome looked at her sister pleading with her to come." why should I!" She said to her sister, though kagome hadn't voiced her desire yet.

"He has offered a truce... not to kill Inuyasha until he is strong enough to fight him." she said and Kikyou looked bewildered.

" ...and you believe that load of crap?" she scoffed and earned two unamused stares.

"Kikyou... I will not kill the child. Also I swear to...protect kagome. Give me the child and I will show you that I mean what I say." he said and kagome saw her sister's features soften. She looked at her sister and urged her to show her a sign of doubt.

" I believe him." Kagome answered and Kikyou slowly stepped forward.

At once Inuyasha stopped crying, he stilled and realized that his guardian was going toward the man that had both interested and terrified him for as long as he could remember, he looked wide eyed, not sure weather he was afraid or not. Amber eyes locked and every person held their breath through the next moment.

He was within reach. Sesshomaru knew he had the means to exact his revenge. The priestesses were beginning to trust him, had delivered the pup into his hands. He fought down the blood lust and glanced into coal eyes that held him with both loathing and wonder. They mirrored his emotions as he looked down at the pup.

Inuyasha began to feel more secure as time dragged on and he still hadn't been injured. He sniffed and scented the tension in the air and tried to calm them with the natural scent he used to show them that he had bonded with them, that they were his now to protect when he was able, Mother, he thought.

But, looking up at ht demon he did not feel the affection he felt towards the women and so he whimpered when the demon reached out to him.

Looking at razor claws he tried to get back from them but Kikyou and Kagome cooed to him and tried to soothe his worries. He eyed the striped wrists and then looked up at a face that has hard chiseled with no signs of mercy in his eyes. Sesshomaru knew the boy didn't trust him. He felt the resentment and the scent he used to make the priestesses pander to his cries.

Sesshomaru reached out to the pup with his scent, the scent was to solidify the bond of pack, and as alpha he used this to ensure both loyalty and protection until the moment the boy challenge his role as alpha. It was bestial in nature, but within his society crucial to the formation of hierarchy among the inu.

The boy stopped his struggling and leaned forward to sniff him. He drew in the scent and instinctively he submitted to the more powerful inu. Inuyasha was intrigued at the scent of the older inu, it promised of security and threatened him of danger at once. He looked from one guardian to the other and they stared at him with such interest he began to wonder why they didn't also respond to this scent. Could they detect it? Feeling the naturalness of the bond, he reached out to the inu and was received with hesitant care. Instinctively he began his investigation of the inu. Rummaging through the garments he searched for signs of blood and food, his scent was powerful and he could scent the blood lust like a shield around him instead of at him-They were pack now.

The twins watched in horror and wonder as Inuyasha pawed at the demon and sniffed him putting his nose against his chest and neck and scenting his hair. They did not realize that the base instinct of inu played out before them as a sign of a covenant. Sesshomaru fought the urge to throw the child from him and stop the infiltration of his privacy. The boy was gathering information. He was ripping him apart and dissecting his character to ensure he was a fit alpha. It was a natural inu trait that he had been surprised that the boy even possessed.

This had better be worth it... father. This son you've died for had better get strong enough to make up for your death. For you had the nerve to die before I could kill you and in your place there is only this pup. I will wait, he thought, for now,

the priestesses looked on at him with new eyes and he nearly felt his heart leap from his chest.

It was working.

Kagome could not deny what she was seeing. Inuyasha reacted to the demon with trust and so when he stared unflinchingly at them and demanded that they reconsider they refusal. They looked at each other. Sesshomaru set the boy on his feet and made no show of going after him when he began wandering around and playing as if there were nothing different in his life aside from one more person to pander to his wants.

"...You promise to protect kagome?" Kikyou asked. She felt her heart race and she looked at the demon and wondered if he truly was capable of compassion. He had never reached out to either of them before, he had only ever threatened and made them afraid, and yet he stood now, ready to put his vengeance off, perhaps for centuries, just so that he might go to his mother and see if the other demon lied about her enslavement... but if the demon wasn't lying, he would go after her and take kagome with him. Part of her wanted to refuse still. But part of her saw that he was sincere at least in his determination and she sighed.

" Kikyou, can we truly go through with this?" kagome asked her sister. kagome felt the same things that she saw swirling around in her sister's eyes. doubt, and fear. kikyou looked her in the eyes and communicated more than her words could.

When she did speak kagome was almost afraid to hear her. "You reminded me that we were taught a different set of values then a lot of women our age, i honestly don't want you to go, but, as you said, we can't stand in the way of what he has to do."

Sesshomaru looked at the usually unreasonable woman with disbelief, but covered it when they lookeda back at him. kagome nodded, tears brimming her eyes, " Then i will go." she said taking a breath to steady her.


	9. mine to protect

She didn't want to look back at the demon. She didn't want to leave behind everything her and her sister had built while she went off on a suicide mission, Sesshomaru walked to where she had her back turned to him and tried to stamp out the irritation he was starting to feel. he reminded himself not to yell when he tried to shake her from her thoughts.

" kagome," he said Kagome didn't turn.

She didn't want to look at him. He was only going to see his mother, how bad could that be? She wondered and then shivered picturing herself walking into and entire tribe of bloodthirsty inu like Sesshomaru and the inu that had tried to... she shook her head. Would he protect her? "I should never have bound you demon." she said bitterly.

" I agree. Now let's go." he said and waited for another few minutes before she pulled herself from the child. She kissed him and then turned dark blue eyes on him that said that above anything in the world she did not want to do this. "my promise to protect you means that at the first moment I will return you here and never look upon you again. You will not die." he said aloud and

" I need a few things." kagome said and she ran to the hut ready to get this over with. She grabbed a change of cloths and some foodstuffs that she would need for travel. She knew how to travel light from her years traveling with her father and she thought about this as she finished tying her pack and went to the door. She prayed that she would be able to come home, she clasped her hands and chanted a spell to protect the hut until she returned and stepped from the step onto the grass of the yard.

Sesshomaru felt his heart leap. They were going. Finally, he could go see for himself how she was being treated. He wondered if she was healthy and being fed, or if the inu she was given to treated her with disdain like his father had. he recalled the careless attitude for anything she did for him, the condescending speech and abusive behavior and could not stand the thought of someone else treating her that way.

Sesshomaru walked. He waked because he could not run and leave kagome behind. It had been hours of travel and he was seething mad. " hurry up." he demanded and tried to push the pace of their saunter. She was infuriating him and she was acting as though she were tired already and he had arely been able to move at all.

" I am. I don't travel as fast as you do! My feet hurt! I'm starving! And you are terrible company! I don't know why I agreed to go with you to begin with." she grouched at him. He growled.

"My mother." he said and she nodded.

"Oh... yeah." she sagged and stopped reaching down to take her sandal off and squeezed her foot until she got the feeling back to her toes. He did not stop and she was yanked from her feet and he was made to stop.

" I have to hurry. Don't you understand what is at stake!" he shouted at her and earn an unamused look.

"No! I have never dealt with the loss of a parent, or the fear that one might be hurt. I don't understand any of those things because I _never_ lived a life before **you**! I just appeared out of the ground and decided to take care of a couple of demons, for absolutely _no_ reason!" she said sarcastically and he was brought to rage, standing over her wanting so much to leave her behind and go alone.

"Take this cursed thing off." he yelled and reached down and grabbed her arm yanking her to her feet. She looked at his hands grasping her upper arms and remembered the feel of her bones shattering in his grip. she gasped and closed her eyes to anticipate the pain. " I will not hurt you. Just take it off." he was trying to calm down. Trying to stave off the anger that threatened to rip her apart with his claws and bear the brunt of the other priestesses anger. It would only be forty or so years, what was that when he had centuries ahead of him?

" I don't trust you." she said and did not even try.

"You have to." he demanded.

"...But I don't. You are just as cruel as when you first came to us!... So, you don't yell at me as much... you still never consider the things I need; like rest, or water. You act as though all of those things just happen on their own. When, for the last several months, I have been working for _you_ to trust _me_ "

" What do you want from me!" he yelled not knowing any other way to make her travels any better. He cursed as he watched her look up at him with irritation and loathing, she would never take the damned thing off at this rate, and he had gotten so close back at the hut with the covenant with that bastard pup.

She considered what she wanted, he braced himself for her to make him carry her or hunt for her or stop for the night so she could sleep, he almost lost it again but stopped himself when she just shook her head." I want you to show me the same consideration that I show you." she said and stared him straight in the eye.

"I...will...try." he struggled and she looked at him skeptically. It was manageable. At least she was not asking him to tote her around like a pack mule. " how long do you need?" he asked when he calmed down enough.

Kagome looked up at him and was surprised. "Just a few more moments, I'm not used to traveling so fast, I'm almost running to keep up with you and it's been hours since we started." she tried not to complain though she struggled for her breath and her feet were killing her.

Sesshomaru, considered this and raised his hand into the air. " Ah-Un." he called and sent a wave of energy to summon his beast. Riding through a cloud of energy a two headed dragon galloped through the energy portal to his master's side.

The beast was feral snorting and growling as his master reasserted his claim on the beast. Sesshomaru subdued the creature with the power of his energy and motioned to the woman who stood watching with wide eyes. " here is Ah-Un, he is my most loyal mount. He will carry you. Now come." he said and motioned for her to mount the best and follow him.

Kagome approached the two headed creature and gulped down the fear that spiked in her, it was a dragon, and they stared back at her with distrust and skittishness. Sesshomaru growled and the beast turned its head as she got on to its back.

When kagome was secure Sesshomaru set off at a run and his beast followed at a rate that made Kagome's stomach turn. She clutched her pack and the dragons saddle and closed her eyes from the rush of wind that passed her. After a while she leaned forward and put her forehead against the dragon's neck and earned a squawk from the beast and the other turned to look at her. She looked at the big yellow eyes of the beast and tired to reach her hand out to touch its nose. It sniffed her and she reached forward and stroked its nose and then feathered her fingers over the scales of his neck, earning a content growl.

moderately surprised and delighted she smiled and hugged the creature tighter, seeing that it was no longer intolerant of her. " pretty dragon." she cooed. the dragons eyelids lowered and he allowed her to scratch his chin as they traveled, trading places watching the path ahead of them and getting irritated when one received more attention than the other.

Sesshomaru felt the nearing of his tribal lands. She would be targeted there, for simply being around him. He would have to fight. He would have to ensure that they kept their claws to themselves.

Within an hour of traveling, Sesshomaru stopped outside of his people tribal territory. He made Ah-Un stop before passing him and he looked at the woman. " You cannot come into my territory safely. The inu males will try and take you from me and as we are bound you cannot be taken. Do not worry, do not show your fear, if your confidence is in me that none of them may touch you they will leave you to my care."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You reek of fear, your scent tells of the distrust and constant anxiety that makes me instinctively want to hunt you. You must stop this at once or we will be walking into a certain death. Both of us." he said and he scented her fear tenfold and suppressed the groan that threatened to escape.

"We are going to die." she gasped.

"We will not die if you do as I have said. Your scent is filled with the stench of fear,even from here an inu can scent prey. Right now you are prey. Man up!" he said and she gasped.

"You want me to ...Man up!?"

"Yes, put away your fear and do as I have instructed. Or you will die." he said meaning it. He hated how resistant she was, in a pack the alphas word was absolute, no one undermined the sharp senses and skills of someone who was obviously capable. He sighed. " kagome, I must go... and you must come." he said.

Kagome saw an image of her father, telling her to man up, she cracked a smile and chuckled. He had told her that so many times and she had always found his brand of macho humor to be entertaining. "Man up? Hu? I guess I have been acting a little off today..." she said and nodded and reached inside herself to reawaken and remind herself of who she was.

Sesshomaru watched her as she She contemplated for a moment and then her features softened until she had a soft smile playing across her lips. His heart thumped in his chest at the smile. "Will you come now?" he asked and she nodded.

".. You really won't let anyone hurt me will you?" she asked and he snorted.

" You are mine to kill... and mine to protect." he said.

She watched him walk toward the bank of a river he stopped by and began to remove his robes. " you he no shame." she shook her head at him and turned her eyes away hurriedly.

"I do not care what you think of my shame, human." he snapped. " you might think about bathing more often yourself." he added and heard her indignation.

" you think I stink?" she asked offended. She had counted herself among the cleanest people she knew and had prided herself on it.

"you reek of herbs and potions, always, even getting out if the water you use that...soap that smells disgusting." he said, since the were on the subject.

" I make that soap myself!" she gaped, she loved he scents she used, they were her favorite smells.

" I know." he added.

"well it's a good thing I don't care what you think of my scent." she snapped.

She heard a splash and knew he had gotten out of the water. " since we are going before the chief of my tribe, I suggest you wash it off." he said and strode past her he eyed her and silently told her, _hurry up,_ she turned her face from him blushing.

The tribe of the inu was even scarier then she had anticipated. Rows of tents spanned out as a spiderweb surrounded by clothes lines and smoke houses. There were inu everywhere and she could see them fighting and training as though it were normal to do so in the streets. Sesshomaru turned to her. "Do not fear." it should have been a soothing comment, but Sesshomaru made it a demand and she nodded before taking a steadying breath and following after him.

Eyes followed them, and even the children of the tribe stopped in wonder as the man that had struck fear and respect in their hearts walked through the village, with a human following him. One of the inu pups, that Sesshomaru recognized looked up at him with curiosity. His first instinct was to growl and turn him away but, he stopped himself and tried to emit the same scent that had calmed Inuyasha's fear of him.

"Lord Sesshomaru. Your back?" he stepped forward and remembering his training he looked to the ground. Sesshomaru stopped in front of him. The pup was the same one that invoked thoughts in him before, reminding him of himself when he was young.

"Oh cute." kagome said looking at the inu pup. The boy turned curious eyes on her and sniffed. He could not scent malcontent and so he stepped forward and reached out to touch her hand when she stretched it out for him to scent. It was warm, and she was not afraid... he looked at the inu warrior and Sesshomaru looked on without either telling him to continue or stop.

He sniffed her, investigating the things that she had to hide. He found loss and fear and pain, he saw her heart and felt her compassion and her warmth and nearly purred at the feel of it. " Sesshomaru he's so sweet." she said kneeling to hug him. He allowed it but only for a second before the other pups went running past him and he was distracted from the novelty of being held by a warm embrace. Stopping he looked back at her. He would never forget her, and nodded at her before he ran away into the village and out of sight.

"Try not to touch the pups of the tribe, it will not be received well by the others." Sesshomaru said and he turned to walk on. The pup had responded to her as one would expect him to respond to a mother or close family member. One did not simply walk up to a human and draw her scent like the pup had just done. " pups." he snorted and shook his head.

"Lord Sesshomaru! You are back! I sent Takada to notify you of what has happened but the man is a fool." a soldier broke from ranks to speak to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru knew the man, he had been with him during the battle with the dragon and had been a valuable comrade in the heat of battle.

" I must see our leader, I must demand to know why she was given to him." he said and the other inu wrinkled his brows.

"What's happened to you?" he asked Sesshomaru glowered and the man took a breath seeing his old commander back. "You seem different... the leader is away he will be back in the morning to appoint a new general."

"What has happened to the last one, he was still living when I left." Sesshomaru growled at the other generals senility. The man was a fool that threw numbers at their enemy without technique.

"He is dead, as are two predecessors. In the last eight months we have not one a single war. Lord Sesshomaru. Our clan is at the mercy of our enemy. But not any more. I am so glad you are back!" he said and clapped his hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder. He shrugged out of the mans grasp and walked on toward the leaders tent. The man was truthful he was gone. " who is this? Is she yours?" the inu demon asked curiously. Angry amber eyes turned on him.

Catching up with him she doubled over panting and looked up as he asked if she were his. " no" they said together and the inu male looked between them and smirked.

" I am kagome." she said bowing a customary greeting. He smiled and looked at his stoic leader.

Bowing elegantly the inu reached out to grasp her hand and kissed it and looked up at her heatedly. " I am Sanoske, you may call me Sano."

" ….from the river bank... all those years ago." Sesshomaru said. Remembering his first kill right then. The inu looked at him with half rage and half admiration for the ruthlessness of his leader. He did not bear him ill will, for he understood that to make an enemy was to one day be killed by him or kill him yourself, there was no way for him to kill Sesshomaru, and so he followed him into battle on countless occasions.

"You killed my brother... What you never recognized me? I forgive you though, he was a real bastard." he said and smirked when kagome gasped. Turning back to her "Don't let him convince you that he's done all of this himself. I was there too...When we went after the dragon. I admit that he took he eyes and got the killing blow, but I was there and managed to be the only other one to live aside from him. So don't underestimate me. I will survive." he said with glistening eyes.

" Sano, do not tell her of our wars, she is not an ally to this tribe." he said meaning it. He followed Sesshomaru debriefing him of the things that had happened since he had left and then excused himself to return to his duties. Kagome looked after him with wonder. Had Sesshomaru really killed this man's brother? He acted as though he admired Sesshomaru.

Kagome did not leave his side through the walk through the village, she was doing well so far, there was little difference between the way that the inu lived as a group then humans lived. There were more brawls in the street and a sense of tension for the struggle for dominance but if she

The night went with little activity, she stayed in the tent that Sesshomaru's mother had stayed in and knew that he sat outside the door, not even making a move to invade her privacy. She was grateful for that, because she dreamt of the night her father died.

It stormed on the hut that the twins had found on their travels. Kagome's huddled over the form of her father as Kikyou tried to build a fire against the rage of the storm. She was talking to him, not saying anything really but making him apart of her life as much as she could while he could still hear her. He had his eyes closed and his face was tired, looking as though he had been awake too long and was in need of sleep.

" I have called your mother's sister Kaoru, she has agreed to take you in at the shrine. You will be well taught and well taken care of. She will be your mother now, so please treat her with kindness. She does not have to take you in." he rasped and kagome nodded.

They had met her several times and she had known that in the case that their father died that they would go to her. She nodded. He was so weak that she was afraid to turn her eyes. She looked at the man who had been so strong that no one had been able to touch him, a man that she had seen care so passionately that he risked his life and limb to help other people. He had been someone who had cared for and protected her and her sister with every ounce of love that the two of them needed as they had grown from childhood into adolescence.

Kikyou came over as soon as the fire was going enough to stay lit on its own. She leaned over her father and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Father. We love you so much."

"Take care of your sister, Kikyou. Take care of her and stay together, you are all you have now. Remember.. always to trust in each other and stand together when you are afraid. Please do this..." he whispered and breathed shallowly. He didn't say anything again, for hours the girls watched over him wiping the sweat from his brow and making sure that he was comfortable as they could make him.

Kagome leaned over to stoke the fire and when she turned back he was gone. Her father's eyes stared blankly at her and she felt the breath leave her. Kikyou pulled his cover over his face and went to her sister. Who still hadn't taken a breath yet.

Fear. The inu smelled it like a wave that washed through them and drew them from their sleep. Sesshomaru snapped his eyes open and looked to the tent. The scent of prey emanated from his part of the village and he stood and went into the tent going to her and shaking her awake. "Kagome. You must wake up now." he hissed.

"Hu... father. What?" she grumbled still in the grasp of sleep.

"Wake up you must stop this scent. You must calm down or-" he was interrupted by the sound of growls around his tent. He took a breath and went to the door. There were twenty male inu with fangs bared and flexing their claws.

"Sesshomaru. Bring us the woman." the largest of the inu said with barely contained rage. "We know that she is not your mate, bring her out to us and we will rid you of the nuisance." they demanded.

"No. she is mine to kill." he snarled and they advanced. He stepped forward and leveled three of them knocking them out cold with the force of his punch and then turning sharpened claws on the last seventeen. He reverted to a beast within seconds and ripped open men that had served under him and no longer showed him the respect of allowing his human peace.

"Give her to us." another seethed.

"She is mine." he growled eyes red with malice. He fought the men into a pile of somewhat broken and maimed bodies and went into the tent and looked on her with annoyance. " I told you that fear stinks like prey. Control yourself." he barked and she nodded. The sound of growling inu was more than enough to terrify her and she fund herself unable to sleep at all.

Sesshomaru growled and earned a pained frown and she sighed. " I'm trying. How do you sleep when everyone wants to kill you at the first show of weakness." she whispered and he smirked.

" have faith that I shall be the one to kill you and no one else will even touch you." he said and she nodded. The curse ensured that he could not touch her with rage and as long as she feared that he might kill her the curse will remain. She smiled knowing that he was aware of this.

"Thank you." she said and earned a grunt of disconcern.

" I do not want your thanks. Only to be rid of this curse. Sleep already." he snapped and kagome felt a sense of assurance even as the inu prowled around the tent scenting for another hint of fear. " trust in me and the inu will have no choice but to leave you to my care. When you show them fear, it means you have no faith in my protection of you, and so they will take you from me and devour you." he explained and she felt her heart leap. "you must stop now." he barked and emitted a scent to calm her.

" I want to trust you." she said and closed her eyes.

He did not see an outward sign that she was aware of the scent but she calmed and he was glad when she began to sleep. When she was quiet and her breathing slowed he felt for the shifting of his people just beyond the leather and fabric of his tent.

They waited for their chance to take her. She smelled of power, that was true, but it was her purity of heart that made her even more of a target for his people, he would stand against anyone in order to find out where his mother was. He could feel the aura of their leader drawing near. He would be there soon and then he would demand that he explain why and where his mother has been taken.

Looking down at the woman who now slept soundly beside him, he saw her face stilled and angelic looking in her slumber. _She was beautiful_ , he thought and shook his head. _What am I doing._

Scenting the tent around d him, he felt the years as a wave washing over him and reminding him of nights spent in fear and anguish... but also of the love his mother had for him. He recalled the nights spent in her embrace after a harsh beating that left him in agony.

He recalled the feel of claws running through his hair and her nose nuzzling his neck scenting for his emotions and reaching out to him with comfort.

She was being held, far away in the grasp of some one that he hated. " I have to get her back." he said

Dull amber eyes stared boredly at him. "What right do you claim to retrieve her. She was a gift you see. As the mate of the greatest general, she is valued as a prize and since she is still so young, she will do well to stay with the one I sent her to.

"As I remember it is your fault that she is in this position in the first place. Where have you been Sesshomaru? Why have you returned with a human when the humans war with us from all sides. It was your plan that brought Ryokusei wrath on this village and then,

" when I searched to find where you had gone, I find you missing with no idea as to where you are. You deserve nothing from me." the elder inu chief said looking into eyes that no longer made him weary of the violent temper that the man was famous for.

"Leader, I must find her. I must see her-" Sesshomaru tried to contain his rage. He felt kagome behind him and one show of disrespect could mean his life and hers. He held his breath wanting so badly to show his claws but holding back for the sake of the woman.

"Why should I? Will you return and resume your role here a general? Will you resume your journey and leave this tribe behind. And this woman. I scent the taint of half demon on her... is she yours." he demanded. And Sesshomaru felt his chest tighten at the mention of the half demon. He did not want to risk notifying the leader of the pup, before he could exact his revenge.

"There is no pup. We encountered a half demon days ago, leader. It is my mother-" he tried and earned a bark of laughter.

"If your father could see how you grovel for your mother's attention. Truly it is to her gain that she is gone," he said not caring that the rage was now visible on the young man's face. Sesshomaru had always interested him for his ruthlessness, but he looked soft now and so the leaders interest was tainted with bitterness.

Sesshomaru stood and drew kagome to his back demanding that she stand behind him. " I will find her. Tell me where she is. Or I will pry it out of your dying corps." he growled and earned the rage of every inu demon in the room.

"Traitor... you side against your own people. Over your mother? Think of your future here." the chief shouted and Sesshomaru smirked.

"For her I would side against the entire world... she is mine to protect."


	10. trust? no inu trusts

With rage he severed the ties he had to that wretched tribe. Baring his teeth in a sign of disrespect he turned on the leader of his tribe and demanded again that he tell him of her whereabouts. The leader looked on at him with amusement and his guards encroached with claws flexed. They would be taken to the pit, where war criminals went, he would be flogged and the woman eaten. There was no way Sesshomaru was going to let that happen, so he summoned the beast in him to rise up and fight against the odds.

He began to change, claws and fangs lengthening while his eyes bled crimson. He could feel kagome behind him and he reached out to catch her before she fled.

Kagome heard the growls from every angle and wondered why it had to come to this. She stepped forward. "Wait." she said ignoring the arm that reached out and caught her before she could step around him. " Why does it have to come to this, you truly will not tell Sesshomaru where his mother is?" she asked not believing the smug look on the chiefs face.

" No, I have no reason to tell him anything. " The great inu barked. Kagome swallowed down the fear that spiked in her. This was the man that lead the tribe, she had imagined a fair aristocrat but the man staring down at her now was the epitome of power, even so much that Sesshomaru's power was swallowed up in the greatness of the leaders. She summoned her courage and stepped forward

"Will you trade, for the information?" she asked and earned the consideration of the inu chief. Yellow eyes looked at her and then turned to the inu warrior standing before him. " what of you Sesshomaru will you give me something in exchange for the whereabouts of your dear mother?" he asked.

"Would a man such as you keep his word to me if I did?" Sesshomaru snapped back making his leader smile.

" Yes... that is the Sesshomaru I want. There is something that you could do for me... woman, are you truly a priestess?" he asked and she looked around not sure as to whether or not she should answer him.

" I am-" she started

"Are you willing to trade for the information Sesshomaru wants. There is nothing that he can do that I could not do for myself."

"Except win a war." Sesshomaru barked earning a guffaw from the chief. Kagome noticed that the more the man toyed with Sesshomaru the more recluse and beast like that he became;until she saw him before her eyes revert into the creature that had attacked her out of the night and forced her to bind him. She tried to shove that thought aside and looked at the chief with confidence

"What is it that you require of me, I will do this in order to receive the information that he needs." kagome answered and saw that she was attracting the attention of all of the inu within sight. They had never seen a human address their leader, even less one offer to trade for the benefit of an inu warrior.

"There is a platoon of inu warriors to the south that are in need of a healer, ours has been killed, and so my condition is that you return here once you have healed them and I will give to you the location of the inu woman. Is that according to your skill set? He asked and she considered this momentarily.

" I have never tried to heal a demon... is there someone that I might test my ability on?" she asked and looked around. Distrust and anger met her. No one stepped forward.

Out of the crowd there was a commotion, the inu warrior from the day before stepped forward with a newly made gash down his arm. It was deep and when kagome saw it she went to him. Inu stepped aside, not wanting to incur the wrath of either the leader or the great generals son, both of whom were notorious in the community.

"Kagome, you remember me right?" he asked as she reached for his arm. She looked at him and nodded.

"Sano, did you do this on purpose?" she asked and he nodded.

"You need a test subject," he said and she smiled. Raising her hands he chanted over his wound and brought power to her hand to heal him. Feeling the opposing aura she worked to see the damage, to find the tissue and mend shin and muscle. " ah- warm." he said and flexed his arm when she was done. The skin was smooth with no sign of the wound that had just been there.

" I see you are able. Do this for our ranks and I will tell you what you want." he said and summoned her. " come to me woman, there is a request that I have that is of a more private nature." he said and she looked up at him. He was terrible and great, his claws and fangs gleamed with the ability to tear flesh and his energy was black as coal. She looked at Sesshomaru and he could only look on and follow as she approached him.

They were taken to the leader's tent and she was allowed in while Sesshomaru waited outside. He turned on her as soon as the flap was closed. "You have bound my greatest warrior, I see the scars from his entrapment..." he snarled. "Do you know that this tribe needs that demon, and you are ruining him... like his father was ruined... Don't pretend you don't know, I scent his bastard child on you, as though you were the mother... are you?"

"No."

"Then you have conspired to keep my next general and warp him. I see what you've done! His stare, his stance are all ruined. When he walked into the village I waited for the cries of war of the blood that would run the streets and they are gone! He is different, why? Why have you done this?" he demanded.

Kagome looked at him with shock. The things that he praised Sesshomaru about were the exact things that they had been working through. If he comes back here he will be lost, she thought and felt her heart jolt at the idea. " what is It that you needed from me," she asked and the man looked at her with exasperation.

" I have been bleeding internally, for over a year from an injury. It is now difficult to keep the blood masked and I feel my health failing me." he said and kagome nodded.

"May I approach?" she asked not wanting to meet her end at the tip of his claws. He nodded and she went to him with healing hands and felt for the rupture in his insides, she found his ailment and began her healing, as it was healing the leader begin to feel the warmth of her compassion and he smiled softly. "There is no reason to be so destructive, didn't you want the best for your mother?" she asked and he thought for a moment.

"My mother has been dead 300 years, I think about her every once in awhile though." he said and was shaken to his core from the feel of her healing power coursing through him and healing his lasting infirmity. She smiled at his admission and he looked at her smile with surprise. "You aren't afraid." he said.

"Well...no. You aren't going to hurt me, are you?" she asked him drawing her hands back.

The leader thought about it and shook his head. " I have no reason to harm you. It's not like you are caring for my generals son, in that case I would have to demand that the half demon be put to death and all who have seen of its existence." he said and kagome froze in her place he grinned. "It was a jest, human. I know you have him..." he flashed a fang and cheekily nodded toward the demon waiting on her from outside the tent, they could both feel his anger at being rerouted from his goal, kagome shook her head."You are truly going to heal my men? For him" he asked and she nodded.

" I will, because, part of the binding spell means that we cannot be separated unless there is trust between us. " she admitted and he barked a laugh that was of pure amusement.

"Trust? No inu trusts." he said.

No inu trusts.

She thought about this as they set off to the south. Ah-Un carried her, his wings making a torrent around her . The chief had been outraged at the binding and changes that she had watched him make, Sesshomaru acted as though he didn't care. He said as much when they left the tribe and turned on her.

"Why did you offer him a trade! Now we are bound to do his bidding for a scrap of information I could have strangled from his dying breath." he snarled at her from his place running ahead of them.

"But you don't have to go that far, there is no reason for needless violence, it won't help he situation." she said thinking he was being ridiculous still. He growled.

"Do not put your human ideals on to us. You have no rights here." he snarled and kagome sighed.

He had been in a foul mood since they had left the village, he looked at her with pure annoyance and refused to even speak to her until they were outside of the village.

"Why are you so mad at me, I thought I was helping. Don't you want to return to your home some day? The way you were going you were going to be banished." she said making him stop.

"It is my choice. You have no right to-"

"Sesshomaru, your mother will need someplace to come home to. If your intention is to bring her home, you should ensure there is a home to come back to. What do you expect? Her to go from a traumatic situation to living in banishment?" she was really starting to despise his stubbornness.

Sesshomaru thought about her words, he tried to argue what she said, but she made more sense then he was willing to admit.

He had truly been surprised when she was allowed to speak in front of the chief, she had offered her own assistance and bargained for him. Why hadn't he thought of that?

He knew in his heart that was why he was most angry. He saw the irresponsibility and willingness to throw everything away for the sake of his pride and was reminded that that was why his mother was now being held against her will, it had been his plan, his attack that had killed his father ultimately, and when he should have taken the responsibility he was expected to, he fled after vengeance. He cursed.

It was only what he had been taught, to value one's pride and rank above everything, even family. It was the memories of her warm embrace that had held his heart, made him go to her and seek out her company far past the time he should have let her go. He hadn't wanted to leave her behind, thought he was going to return long before now.

When the night overtook them, he felt the rustling of demon kind in the forest and stopped near a cluster of trees that would make adequate shelter from the rain or wind. Ah un came to a halt and kagome got off and stretched her limbs until the stiffness was gone.

"I'm sorry for -" she started.

" Do not apologize to me." he said and turned. He was bitter, angry with himself and wanting to punch his father in the face for the things that now made him weak and volatile. The more he looked within himself the more he was disgusted, to the point that even today, walking to his leader wanting to keep his temper at bay, he was drawn back to his same learned behavior.

Once he had been able to control his tantrums to avoid the wrath of his father, could he now control the pride that had been drilled into him as second nature. He had planned to negotiate, he had wanted to be civil, and yet he saw the disrespect, they thought he was weakened because of the changes he's made, thought his will was subdued and his power diminished, but. They had no idea of the monster he was becoming.

He would do this task, and deliver proof to his leader, but when he was freed from this task, when he was finally able to step away from the expectations and let go of the care of what they thought of him he would be truly a man of his own honor.

Kagome watched him for a few minutes and sighed. She had no idea as to how to deal with this demon, she saw that he was trying to be civil toward her, it was apparent in the fact that they had stopped at all for the night. His tone was chilling and he was continuously angry still, but at what she could only guess at.

Had he truly fought dragons and waged war as Sano had suggested. The man had described a legend, and treated him like one. It seemed to her that he was a prized fighter, a cornerstone of the community but aside from the one comrade of war, no one greeted him, no one even dared to come near him. Where were his friends? Where were the old lovers and flames that should have greeted him with callous indifference or admiration. Where was his life, on the battlefield? Was his mother his only family?

Yes. It was clear in his actions, in the way he fought for her protection and constantly referenced her win his tirades. Thinking about it, she was probably the only one to have ever reached out to him with love. What a life.

Through the sounds of the night, it was their restless thoughts that kept the companions awake, though both put on the appearances of sleep. She tried to silence the restless thoughts by sitting up and looking out into the night.

Kagome walked into the night and tried to tire herself out enough to sleep. When she thought she would turn back she walked into a hard surface and looked up at amber eyes. " why are you awake?" he asked.

He had seen her get up, had watched as she walked out of sight and was compelled to follow her. She was silent, not even making sound as she walked through the forest and wondered if she was using spirit magic to pass unnoticed by the demons that lurked in the shadows just out of reach of her at this very moment. Eyes stared out at them and he released a wave of energy that made them scatter.

" I could not sleep." she said wearily. " I cannot stop thinking of how you lived in that village." she said and he took a step back from her.

"Why do you care?" he asked. " do not concern yourself with my life, I do not want your sympathy or your intervention. I will protect my family the way I need to. I admit that you... helped...me." he fought the words out like they physically hurt. " but, I don't want your help, I don't know how you persuade everyone to pander to your wants but I-" she listened to him tear her apart for ten minutes after and when he was done she looked at him with knowing eyes.

"You want to know how I manage to get people to help me... I am kind to them, I treat them with decency and I do not expect their help I ask for it and give them the option to choose for themselves."

He thought about the pup that had approached her and the way he had responded to her. If she had tried to force him the pup was capable of harming her, but he hadn't, he had done the opposite and embraced her. "Is that truly what you're doing?" he asked sarcastically. "Or are you charming them with your spirit magic." he accused though he knew she was telling the truth.

" You are so infuriating. I'm trying to help you and all you can do is suspect me of undermining you? Well, after this. I'm not helping you any more! How do you like that! I will let you get yourself banished or imprisoned, ill be there too, but hey, we will rot together." she ranted, angry at his stubbornness. He glowered at her and turned to walk back to the two headed dragon.

"Then we will rot." he growled. " Let's go, if we both cannot sleep we will continue traveling." he snarled balling his fist. Why had he started another argument with her, he wanted to be rid of her and yet the more sense she made the angrier he was.

He didn't want to hear these things from her. He hated how she affected the people around him and turned their hearts so easily. Within three days she drew the attention of three inu males who wanted to posses or pander to her wants. Four, counting the child that had been drawn to her. Why? She was a nuisance. She was irritating and had a way of reminding a man of his flaws with a single look.

Kagome got onto Ah-Un with attitude. She was tired, truly but she was now so angry she stared holes in his back and wished that Ah-Un would take a bite out of him. " Foolish man." she grumbled and knew he heard her though he pretended not to.

The pace was set in rage. He had not meant to perpetuate her anger to this level and felt it on him like a raging storm. She nearly passed him on Ah-Un when he stopped and she got off looking around for the inu platoon. "Where are they" she snapped and he pointed. She walked past with anger and did not look at him when she passed. He sighed.

There were a hundred inu warriors injured from battle. The general had been killed and many of the men believed that Sesshomaru had been sent as a replacement. He denied the claim and was met with dismay. They watched him shadow the priestess and confirm her claim to be sent from the chief.

Kagome worked tirelessly from the moment she got there, each inu looked on at her with distrust and even snarling for her to get away but she calmed them with her spell and brought healing hands to them with each new wound presented.

Out of the hundred men there were twenty serious injuries that took a great deal of energy to heal. After that she went to as many of the men as she could, completing thirty five healed minor injuries and the rest in superficial wounds until her energy nearly left her with the amount she used.

Sesshomaru scented when she began to dwindle in power, she was using it all to heal his people. " why don't you stop?" he asked not understanding why she willingly gave up her life force so easily. She just looked at him.

" I gave him my word, that I would heal them. Do you want to see your mother again?" she said and he was rendered speechless. When her energy was spent, each of the inu watched as she dropped from exhaustion, and was caught by the most ruthless of all of their fighting force.

Sesshomaru couldn't let her fall now. He hadn't meant to grab her so quickly, but he saw the inu looking on with near amazement and even he could not stand by after she had given them everything. He held her up, and with a barely cognitive whisper she said. "you are on your own from here." and she faded into sleep.

The inu erupted into a roar of chatter and each of them tried to decide how she would be dealt with from there. Sesshomaru was amazed that some of them that had been touched by her healing magic suggested she be honored in their tribe and swore that they would see her protected. Sesshomaru growled.

They were trying to take her from him. He could see them calculating ways to get take her and use her for her healing powers, he had to admit that even he was surprised at the amount of power she had drawn from, she had healed on hundred demons before succumbing to the loss of energy. And now those one hundred looked at her with lust-filled eyes wanting the power and prestige above everything else, as he once had.

With every inu watching he had no other choice but to carry her away. They were done with their task. And with the way they were beginning to encroach he swallowed his want to rid himself of her now and brought her close, she leaned against his chest and he was filled with the scent of her.

" she is under my protection for the time being, step back now or I will kill all of you." he growled and was met with the respect he remembered, these men knew him, he had trained them ,and each of them knew that with or without cause he would happily end them, he counted on those memories as he carried her away and left them looking after him.

When he was sufficiently away from the pack he called his mount and tried to put her on the saddle. She sagged and leaned to the side forcing him to reach out and grip her wrist trying to make her stay where he put her. She did not.

He felt irritation well up in him and hoisted himself up into the saddle behind her. He caught her before she slid from the seat once more and was forced to hold her against him as he kicked his heels and ordered Ah-Un to go home.

"Why did you use all of your energy on us? Why didn't you stop?" he asked thoroughly annoyed at having to tote her around. Now he was forced to touch her, forced to smell the alluring scent she used to distract him and every other inu male from their warpath. What was it about this woman that made him want to both flea from her and posses her at once. Her weight was slight against him, she was barely passed the age of maturity and yet she acted as though she's lived as long as he had with much more understanding.

" Sesshomaru." she mumbled and he looked down at her.

"Is she dreaming about me?" he wondered and scented her feint arousal. He breathed it in taking the scent into him, he could not stop himself. He had tried but the scent appealed to a deeper instinct that surfaced without his control. Taking hold of her arms he pulled her closer, closed his eyes and leaned forward to bury his nose in her hair

Her scent filled his lungs and he could not stop his arms from encircling her and taking another breath. He wanted to taste her flesh, to finally indulge in the fantasy that had been plaguing him, and even felt himself move to kiss her when he jolted back to reality.

He felt foolish, his heart was thundering in his chest, not sure what had happened to the strict discipline and control he had honed.

He made Ah-Un stop and he got off of the beast and carried kagome to a dry place and set her on the ground and walked across the clearing to wait. " this can not be happening. What are you doing to me?" he looked down at her peaceful face and was so disgusted with himself that he turned away from her and went to recollect himself through meditation.

He had gotten too far. He had been too close and had not been able to stop himself from taking in her scent.

When a day had passed and she still had not woken up Sesshomaru closed the distance between them by half way. He inched closer to see whether she had woken up and had found her still recuperating from the loss of energy. He had come to terms about the scent he had drawn in, was convinced that he HD gotten swept up in the moment and acted foolish-at least she had been asleep and could not question him about it.

By the second day he moved closer and considered trying to wake her. It was futal, her energy still barely day was almost over when her eyes fluttered and she awoke for a moment asking for water, when he went to give her some she was already asleep. He considered dumping the water over her and waking her so they could continue traveling, but he stopped himself and looked at her face and saw the contentment in slumber. He felt a stirring in his chest and began to move toward her.

Bending to lift her head from the ground, he moved so that she was half sitting against him and tilted her chin back to receive the water, she choked at first, but when she was able to drink, she calmed down and went back to sleep with her head on his shoulder.

He could not think too hard about what he was doing, it was unthinkable that he should allow her to touch him, when no one ever laid hands on him and was welcomed.

She had given them everything... until she could not even keep herself standing for the drain on power, he thought and sighed feeling resigned. He let her lean against him and when she woke with her head still on his shoulder he did not say anything.

He couldn't.

Kagome woke with a jolt. She had used too much energy and she felt vulnerable, she could feel the drain on power so much her limbs were heavy and she could not think for the pounding in her head. She noticed that she was somewhere else, somewhere familiar but no where near where she had been before.

The second thing she noticed was that she was warm and leaning against someone, her arms were wrapped around what was obviously a man's arm with her chin propped on his shoulder. She struggled to remember anything that would have lead to this and came up blank. " Sesshomaru?" she asked and he grunted not wanting to explain himself. " is the job done?" she asked and stood.

"Yes" he answered and turned from her. Ah-Un was grazing when Sesshomaru whistled and he turned to keep traveling. She mounted Ah-Un and followed him.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

"Three days." he answered and she was speechless. "You watched over me for three days?" she said in wonder.

"Hn." he grunted.

The leader of the inu met Kagome's cheerful eyes with intrigued excitement. "..So you have completed your task?" he asked and she nodded. He looked to Sesshomaru and was met with the same affirmation. " I see...then to honor my side of the agreement, I will tell you where she is." he clapped his hands together and summoned an inu carrying a scroll. " here is a map. This will lead you to the other Inu's lair." he smiled wickedly.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and took it with barely concealed annoyance. " I'm leaving now." he said and turned.

"Just one moment." the chief inu stopped them and looked on at kagome. "I have one more request of you, priestess." he smiled.


	11. what storm?

Wind rushed past her ears, Ah-Un galloped at top speed to keep up with its master. Sesshomaru was running, he cursed the man that had willingly given his mother over to the hands of his father's cunning rival.

The other inu lived as nomads within a floating city that only touched ground every thirty days. The leader had only recently returned from the journey and it had taken their slow moving party three days to journey back from the place where it touched the tip of the mountain. He would have to scale heights that were unimaginable and war with beasts that prevented most from even finding the location-while toting around a human.

"What did he ask you?" he asked thoroughly annoyed at her for receiving the written message and letting the old demon whisper in her ear. She had looked at him over her shoulder as his chief whispered, and from that moment he was on guard.

"Its nothing to get worked up over." she had told him as if that was the end of it.

When Ah-Un began to wear out Sesshomaru relented to rest, though he didn't want to, and stopped near a pond to give the two headed dragon time to drink and to rest his wings. He stepped into the water and felt it slosh around his boots. He waided in a little further and let his tail soak and then leaned down to get his hair wet before walking back onto the bank and shaking the excess water from his hair and clothes.

"Really?" kagome complained and got up out of the spray. He ignored her and began to investigate the surroundings. She made sure he was sufficiently away and moved to get in the water herself. He ignored her with every fiber of his being and set out into the forest. half wanting to yard her off balance he stalked into the forest but found his binding to extend further than before, He felt his heart thump against his chest finding himself wondering if it was possible to make this work after all.

his mind drifted as he walked, back to the scent he had drawn in from kagome, and he stopped in his track from the sudden warmth that spread through him. She had been dreaming about him, he was almost positive and yet he hadn't detected fear but arousal, something he never thought would happen. " she's trapped me. i have to get away from her" he breathed and tried to shove aside the thundering of his heart.

He looked into the shadows that dappled the undergrowth and scented fear. He smirked at the adequate distraction and readied himself for the hunt. It was small... no they were small, and there were many of them. He walked through the ferns and foliage that brushed against him and frowned,-he had stepped on something. Looking down he found a small imp stuck to his boot. He wrinkled his nose and saw another.

Out of the trees several imps reached out to grip his houri and take in the power he possessed. He snarled and exuded a wave of energy that snapped through them like an electric shock and they disappeared into a cloud of dust. He sniffed for the scent of fear knowing that the imps were not the source.

"You have saved us!" a kappa stepped from behind a bush and Sesshomaru looked down at the green creature. " who are you, savior?" he asked bowing and looking up Sesshomaru saw hundreds of green toad demons step from secret hiding places he had walked past.

"I am Sesshomaru." he said and met adoring eyes. The toad bowed to him with reverence.

"I am Jakken, king of the kappa here, the imp race has terrorized us and prevented us from thriving here, you have destroyed every one of them. I am in your dept..." Jakken said trembling with the aura that the dog demon was surrounded by. It was black and felt of power and greatness. Jakken wanted it, wanted to be there as the greatness in him became unstoppable. He would watch this demon ascend into the heavens with the kami and there would be no one to stop him.

" I do not need-" Sesshomaru tried to walk away but the kappa followed him.

"Don't be silly lord Sesshomaru, I am now your humble servant...retainer. Do you have a retainer?" Jakken asked following hastily. A few of the toads tried to follow after him but the king of kappas turned and said to his people. " I am no longer your king, I am the retainer of lord Sesshomaru. Decide for yourselves who you want as king, but I will leave you now." he said and thrust his life away with no regard.

Sesshomaru went back to the clearing, the toad praised him in every way imaginable until Sesshomaru was nearly sick with the irritation of it. " shut up." he growled and was met with fearful eyes. He sighed. One more person to tote around, he thought.

Kagome screamed

"Lord Sesshomaru there is a human woman... destroy it." Jakken ran forward and Sesshomaru stepped forward stepping on him and walking to where kagome was, sitting at the edge of the water, a snake slithered across her foot and she lept from the place she had been standing onto the only thing she could grab, Ah's neck drooped under her weight and he tried to shake her off and lowered her back to the place the snake slithered in circles- he was also terrified and trying to escape the shrieking, the dragon's feet and the woman's body that threatened to crush him.

Sesshomaru whistled and stilled his dragon mount. Walking over to the snake he kicked it into the woods and turned irritated eyes on the woman who slid to the ground. she looked ridiculous, hair ruffled and cloths disheveled from panicking, her eyes looked up at him sheepishly.

"Kill it" Jakken yelled from his place still on the ground.

"Jakken quiet."Sesshomaru warned. he could not help staring at her as she scurried to her feet huffing and making a spectiacal of herself.

"Kill what?" kagome demanded, she was mad, the snake had genuinly scared her and yet she felt foolish. the amber eyes that tracked her every movement held her in judgement and she flet her face burning.

"You." the kappa came over to her with a rock and Sesshomaru kicked him into a tree making the rock come down and roll off of his dead when it crashed down on him.

"Jakken, do not harm her." he said and kagome looked up at him surprised. she smiled and felt a little relieved at the gesture of friendship.

"Thank you." she said, he saw her smiled but he turned his back on it, making it clear that he wanted to continue traveling. He turned his back and set out toward the mountain. There was at least another day's travel from there but there would be almost a month before he would be able to get to her. He glanced back at the awkward part of creatures.

Kagome mounted Ah-Un and secured her bags as the toad came over to her and waved his fist. "Hello." she tried and was met with an angry snarl. She noticed he was kind of slimy looking and gulped down the revulsion.

"Who are you to lord Sesshomaru?" he demanded.

"Well I-"

"Hurry up." Sesshomaru called as he walked into the distance. He really didn't mean for the toad to come along, and thought about killing him, but he turned away from the idea.

"Yes, lord Sesshomaru- hurry up you simpering wench." he snarled back at kagome and she glared at him.

" rude." she snapped.

Sesshomaru smirked.

He would tolerate the toad, for now.

The three traveled in relative silence for most of the day, he was forced to slow down so that the toad could keep up, Ah-Un acted as though he were grateful for the decrease in pace and so he relented to walk. They would have a lot of time before the cloud city would touch the tip of the mountain. He loathed the idea of waiting so long, it had already been five days since they had left the company of Kagome's twin and his brother, and he was still so far from reaching her. His mind reached out to envision the loathsom treatment he recalled her being subject to by his father and clenched his fists thinking that she was being subject to another inu's cruelty.

Kagome dismounted and went to walk next to Sesshomaru, he was brooding again,she sighed-it was so hard to tell whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood since his face was almost continuously scowling. She considered reaching out to tap his shoulder and get his attention but decided not to. "Sesshomaru-"

"That's Lord Sesshomaru to you wench-" Jakken hissed.

"Enough Jakken." Sesshomaru silenced him and the toad nodded and bowed to the demon with confusion. Kagome smirked down at the toad and he advanced on her making her step back.

"Eww, get away from me, you yucky little toad." she said backing up. Jakken saw that he intimidated her and he stepped forward and made a face at her and she stepped back once more and . "don't you dare-" she said and ran into Sesshomaru's back when he stopped.

"Jakken I said cease. She is not to be tormented... I don't want to listen to her bitch about you for the rest of this journey. Now cease at once or I will end you now." he growled and earned a bewildered look from the toad.

"But why?" he pleaded and Sesshomaru turned and continued to walk without answering him. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "She's just a filthy human." Jakken muttered.

With those words Sesshomaru was reminded of his heart had been thundering in his chest since he had forced himself to watch over her when her energy failed her. He tried to ignore her. He tired to stay as impartial as he was before but he could not. 'I should not have taken in her scent,' he thought.

The scent of her arousal was something that had peaked his interest and made him take notice of the way she had been affecting him, but when he took in the essence of her very being he had found himself filtering through the that showed him her most private emotions and the places she's been. He had scented long journeys and an abundance of both fear and love, what had she been through? He wondered. Looking down at the top of her head he could sense, her hunger in the form of a growling stomach.

"Kagome are you hungry?" he asked and was met with shock.

"Well-yes." she said and blushed. " you can hear my stomach growling can't you?" she asked and he nodded once. Kagome watched with hesitance, she hadn't meant to ask him to hunt for her, she was grateful, but she wasn't sure about the fight that would undoubtedly happen because she made him stop and hunt for her. "you don't have to go hunting for me, i brought some dry rations." he ignored her.

When Sesshomaru returned with two rabbits she smiled and thanked him graciously before reaching to gram one and dress it out. " I will do it." he said and moved then out of her reach.

"Yeah human, lord Sesshomaru does not need the help of a human, as a matter of fact, you can go hunt for yourself-" Jakken began and Sesshomaru silenced him with a look. Jakken backpedaled and tried to justify his hatred for the human by saying that she smelled like the foulest part of a dry riverbed,

Kagome gasped."Why you little toad." she said standing and grabbing a rock to throw at him. Jakken looked at the small boulder with wide eyes. "Apologize for being such a snot." she demanded and he crossed his arms and shook his head. Kagome was really getting tired of this kappa but when she went to hit him with the rock she lost her wind looking down at his ugly little face and tossed it aside. Sesshomaru watched though he acted as though he were fine tuning his rabbit carcass. He really didn't spend a lot of time taking the skin and fur off, for him, they digested.

"I will never apologize to a human, what are you doing with my lord any way." Jakken glanced between the two of them and glared at her.

Kagome slumped against a tree wondering if her patience would hold out of the rest of the trip. She thought of home then, and the warm embrace of a child that waited for her to come home, it had been five, almost six days since I left him, she thought.

Sesshomaru was enveloped with the scent of maternal love, he looked up at kagome and knew she was thinking about Inuyasha, he scented her emotions, could identify each as it filtered through her. When she brushed past him his nose was drawn in, he was reacting to her instinctively, wanting to take in the scent as his own, Sesshomaru found himself lost for words or thoughts

Kagome had given everything to his people, she had left herself completely vulnerable and he had been the only one to protect her from them-to save her from becoming another weapon like he had been. When he had carried her away, he had felt the weight of his task, he had felt burdened by her, he had been afraid to take care of her, lest he act on the things that he had been dreaming about- things that startled him from a fit sleep with images he dared not voice aloud.

He recalled very clearly the feel of her lips pressed to his jaw and feeling her nose take in the scent of his being, he could almost feel the nuzzling as if she were an inu female and he snapped the leg bone in his grip. " Jakken, cease your tormenting at once." he barked and tried to go back to the rabbit he was butchering with his claws.

"Why does he even care about you! Filthy human!" he snarled and tried to be as quiet as possible to escape lord Sesshomaru's wrath.

"Oh, we're lovers, why else would he just be hanging around me like this?" she said making the toad jump back while she laughed. she loved the look of horror that crossed his face and had to hold his sides to keep them from exploding from the amusement.

"Liar! Liar, my Lord would never care about the likes of you, skinny stinky human... tell her lord Sesshomaru that you were using her and have no need of a human lover." Jakken said going to the inu demon and tugging on his robe. Kagome was laughing with incessant giggles and even Jakken had a hard time keeping a straight face. Sesshomaru turned annoyed eyes on kagome but she didn't notice. "lord Sesshomaru, tell her."

"I will not even grace you with a response." he said and made Jakken get back from him. Kagome snorted a few times and tried to reign in her giggles when Sesshomaru went over to her and stood across from her. Jakken stilled wondering if he would take her in his arms and prove that she wasn't lying but he only held out the meat and presented her with something that would end the growling in her stomach.

"Thank you." she smiled and he hurriedly shoved it into her hands, shaking his head at her with irritation, she could see her joke was not received well. "Hey... Sesshomaru, i'll tell him-" she started but he stopped her.

"No, don't make it worse," he said and retreated back to watch her cook from a distance.

The next day's travel lead them over some of the harshest terrain that Kagome had ever passed through, she tried to keep up but even Ah-Un was getting caught up in the brambles and the rockiness of the passageway, they had to travel a narrow passage that lead through two steep and jagged cliffsides. Kagome felt claustrophobic as the walls encroached on them from either side.

There came a point when the they rose in elevation and there began to be snow. Kagome struggled to keep above it but she sank to her knees and watched as the two demons walked on top of it like they were made to travel this way. " Sesshomaru!" she called as she slid to her waist and could not get out.

"Woman," he snarled going back for her. He didn't want to have to carry her, but with the ever-deepening snow he was going to have to.

Ah-Un was struggling too, and so Sesshomaru made the party stop and seeing that Ah-Un could barely travel at all, he sent him back to the lower foothills of the mountain and was loathed to carry kagome. She held on tightly when he knelt in front of her. Jakken would look over and eye him, the questioning had stopped, the toad watched the two and understood that their relationship was something that he didn't quite comprehend but it was there and his lord protected it.

Kagome smiled when she could bury her face in the warmth of his tail. It had been something she looked at from afar but had never touched. " soft..." she mumbled and earned a growl. "oh sorry." she said and tried to sit back so she wasn't leaning into his hair and neck, though somewhere after a hour or so of traveling up the mountain with the warmth surrounding her, she fell asleep.

Kagome's cheek was pressed to his shoulder and her breath puffed gently on his neck. Sesshomaru was tempted to wake her and make her walk but somehow didn't bother, realizing that this was probably one of the few ways he could get her to be quiet without getting into an argument with her.

She shifted and he stopped for a second to let her, when her arms came around his neck and her nose pressed to the skin of his neck and shoulder, she took in his essence. He felt his entire body warm at the feeling of it and he tried to fight the urge to throw her from him and run from the desire that surfaced in him.

One more step, now one more step, he told himself until the tingling had faded to the background. "I just don't understand lord Sesshomaru, why would you take on a human lover?" Jakken asked looking thoroughly disappointed.

Sesshomaru thought about what, or whether, he would answer the toad when kagome shifted against him again and he felt her arms tighten around him. he was taken back with the feel of warmth surrounding him and stopped the statement of denial that almost excaped " because she is mine." he answered and was done with it.

" Inuyasha." she mumbled and kissed the side of his neck in her sleep. He felt the feathering of her lips as she shifted once more and then was back asleep.

"She calls for another man while in your arms, my lord." Jakken said outraged.

"She calls for her pup." he said and felt Jakkens' shock.

"She has a pup?"

"Hn." he answered.

Kagome was warm, she couldn't remember feeling so comforted since her father had carried her this way as a child, she nearly forgot that it wasn't her father when she woke and before even opening her eyes she feathered her fingers through the long hair she rested against.

Feeling the silkiness as an other worldly texture she opened her eyes to silver and nearly jumped back with shock. "Sorry, I was dreaming." she said and blushed red.

"So I see." he answered boredly and dropped her. She was awake now and he could finally escape the scent of her. He took a few breaths to clear his head but there was no where else for him to go, the peaks leading higher would be near impossible to climb with her on his back and sleeping. Looking up at the sheer cliff he shook his head. "We will wait until the storm passes," he said and kagome looked at him kind of sleepily.

"What storm?" she had asked

the winds raged against the shallow cave that barely sheltered them from the snow. Kagome had a fire built and was working on keeping it going when she heard the howl of wolves. She turned to Sesshomaru and silently asked him if they were coming for her. He shook his head.

"I did not call them, kagome." he said and she frowned. He felt her distrust like a notch off of his lead and was determined to prove himself.

He growled and sent them scurrying back from him, but one wolf looked at them through the storm with redened eyes. Kagome stilled when she saw it, she flashed to the wolves that nearly killed her beofre and tried to claw through the cave wall. She grabbed Sesshomaru's shoulder and tried to climb on to his shoulders but he grabbed arms and puled her down, setting her back on the ground.

Looking at her with pure annoyance he made her stop panicking, with a growl of warning. When he turned back the wolf was gone, and in its place stood a man. He was dark like the wolf had been, and he was handsome and looked at kagome with a smile that made her blush, his eyes devoured her every movement and sesshomaru felt violated from his intrusion.

"You are in my territory, I am kouga leader of the wolf tribe." he said and flashed a fang. He sniffed the inu male and the kappa and dismissed them. He was more interested in the woman who smelled of power and warmth ten the inu demon that challenged him with his eyes. He stepped into the shelter of the cave and bowed to her in a greeting before taking her arms in his hands and leaning forward to bury his nose in her hair. Kagome gasped.

Sesshomaru growled.

Kouga turned bored eyes on him. " what do you have to say, dog, this isn't your mate, I sense the fear she has of you, your nothing to her." he sniffed and turned eyes on him.

jakken looded at him with rage."You're lying this is my lord's lover." he snapped and made to grab a rock and throw it at the wolf. he rased it but stopped when he felt the full weight of the wolfes stare. tucking it behind his back he stepped behins sesshomaru.

"Jakken-" kagome tried to stop him. Sesshomaru silenced both of them.

"Enough." he barked but Kouga laughed.

"Lover? you have never even touched this woman. do not lie to the leader of this territory" kouga said coky of his position there. sesshomaru scented his superior attitude and began to get adgetated.

" I would see all of your wolves slaughtered and their worthless leader butchered alongside of them." Sesshomaru seethed and made the wolf demon regard him with some hesitation. "Now unhand my human and leave us now." he growled and kagome smiled at him thinking he meant it as a gesture of friendship. Looking between them she didnt understand why but she saw the fight that was about to erupt and tried to think of a way to stop it.

" Kouga," she got his attention before he could strike out at Sesshomaru, " we are in need of some shelter from the night, do you have a village that we might be able to take refuge in." she asked and Sesshomaru stopped the growl that was half out. he turned to her wondering if she was serious but could not argue when she began to tremble, cold.

"Well, as a matter of fact I do, and I would be honored if such a beautiful woman stayed in my den," he said and smirked when he noticed Sesshomaru frown.

The wolf's den was filthy, with scattered bones and firs down for both animal and demon to share in. kagome looked at the intricate tunnel system and was amazed, Kouga showed her around and introduced her to his wolves-who sniffed her hesitantly, but relented to let her pet them. she was enamored with the novelty of it, feathering her fingers through their fir and looking at their sharp features. She thought back to the attack in the forest around her home and could not help the shiver that shook her to the core.

Sesshomaru watched the male show off for her with little patience. He wanted to leave, and yet he knew that with the storm raging around them she was better off with the shelter, he cursed. At least she wasn't responding to the man's obvious attraction for her, he thought seeing how uncomfortible she was around him. he wanted to stop the wolf and demand him away from her, but felt embarrased and pressured when the wolf turned annoyed eyes on him and asked him why.

"Damned wolf, thinks he can take from you, my Lord. If I were you, I would walk up to her and show all of these wolves who's woman they are showing off for." Jakken said bitterly. He hated wolves anyway, because of the merciless slaughter of his people.

Sesshomaru ignored most of his tirade, he hesitated when he mentioned showing them who they were dealing with and decided to withhold his wrath until they did something worth getting angry about, at this point the wolf leader was only heaping praise on himself and commenting about her looks, two things he had confidence would not entrap her to him.

"..And this is where you will be sleeping, this is the most comfortable place in the entire cave system." he said and she sat down, he smirked and knelt to sit down beside her. his eyes watched her heatedly and she saw him staring at her body and blushed from embarrassment.

"Oh yeah why's that?" she asked feeling the warm furs and feeling the pull of sleep.

"It's my bed." he smiled and she blushed and looked around for help.

" sesshomaru." she called and he jumped into action.

Sesshomaru had had enough.

he was angry when he stomped over to where she was and grabbed on to her hands as she reached for him and clung to his side when he yarded her away. Sitting next to the wall of the cave, Kagome settled next to him and saw his clenched fist and anger that was apparent on his face.

Kouga watched from his place and glowered at the inu demon. Damn dog, he thought and watched as the woman settled against the wall and then leaned over onto the demon as she began to drift to sleep.

Kouga plotted to take her, he looked into the cold amber eyes that held him and pinned him in place and knew it would be a fight, one they might have had out in the storm and he considered her fragile human immune system. no... it was better if she stayed there for the night, after, he would track them and when she presented him with the opportunity he would take her.

Both Jakken and Sesshomaru realized that the wolf was planning something, Sesshomaru didn't trust him, He felt her shift against him and her arms came around his, he allowed her to settle against him, and the wolf's eyes were on him. there was one message that rang out between them:

She is mine.


	12. i flew

When kagome woke up, it was to the sound of growling. Opening her eyes she was face to face with a wolf, and fear overcame of their tearing claws and the force of their bite brought fear to the surface as a tidal wave of emotion. grabbing onto sesshomaru's arm she tried to pull him in front of her and grabbed on to his neck in a panick.

she was nearly in Sesshomaru's lap trying to get away from them. he was surprised at her closeness and almost shoved her away when he felt the response from her pawing. when she elbowed him in the side of the face he'd finally come to his senses, and grabbed her. he emanated a scent to calmed her down, making her sit beside him, and he growled a warning to send the wolves scattering.

"Get away from my-lord-me! get away from me, you beasts." Jakken yelled beginning to throw rocks at them before they turned their attention on him. He gulped down the fear that surfaced in him and turned to the demon warrior with the same panic the woman had displayed.

"What is going on here? Are you harassing my girl" the wolf leader, koga, sauntered over and sent the wolves to the other parts of the cave to give the small part some relief. He eyed sesshomaru, jealous of the way kagome grabbed on to the dog prick

" I was startled... They didn't do anything, I just forgot where I was." she said and he understood that human kind were not used to his people. They did not care for her people much themselves, but she was emitting the most delicious scent... and his men were only men after all.

Sesshomaru stood then and went to the mouth of the cave to look out at pristine snow cover and the silence that rang out over the mountain announcing the passing of the storm, Sesshomaru looked back at kagome and Jakken, gesturing for them to follow him.

Kagome went to take a step toward Sesshomaru but was held back as Kouga grabbed her hand and made her turn to him. She looked down at his hands and wondered where he got the nerve to even touch her, it was impolite and after the obscene gesture he had made at her she didn't think she owed him anything. "this is not good bye, kagome. I will see you again. I swear it." he said bringing her hand up to cup the side of his face as though she were doing it out of affection.

"sesshomaru-" she said wanting him to come back for her.

"Let's go." Sesshomaru snapped. She could see the darkness rolling off of hm in waves and felt the pull of their binding, making her follow even as she fell behind him for the pace he had set.

"Sesshomaru, are you mad at me again?" she asked after a hour of traveling, he had tried to find an easier route up the tall peaks but found none. He was forced to return to the place they had started and he looked up at the same impossible climb. He turned annoyed eyes on her. She had finally caught up again.

He didn't answer her. He was mad, he realized as much. He wanted to escape the feeling but every time he closed his eyes, he could scent her arousal from that morning. She had been dreaming, of what he could only guess at. She had gripped his arm in her tight grasp and had entrapped him to her while she mumbled a his name in her sleep. He had felt the response like an electric shock and had seen the wolves react to it as well.

He looked at her from over his shoulder, looking at the edge of the treeline, he expected to see the wolf stalking them. He could scent the stink of wolves every where, He would glad to kill that idiotic wolf for sniffing around kagome, like he had the right to.

They didn't know her like he did, and if they did, he thought, they wouldn't be as enamored with her as they were, she's just like any woman, though she had a unique perspective, he didn't see anything more than a simple human. "

I need to scale these peeks." he said after more than a few minutes of silence.

Kagome looked at him as though she had forgotten what she had asked him but then realized he hadn't answered her question anyway. "Yes, that is obvious. How are we going to do it?" she asked.

"You are going to get on my back and I'm going to climb." he snarled losing his patience. She frowned and sulked at his tone-he tried to ignore her, turning back to the peaks to look for the easiest route up.

Kagome went to stand beside him and he walked away. "What? Do I stink or something?" she asked offended.

Sesshomaru groaned and began to feel his calm slipping. " _You reek like wolf,_ after you let that fool slobber all over you I don't even want you to touch me." he snarled and she gasped and grabbed a fist full of snow and threw it at him.

"You jerk, you know I didn't want any of that. What is with you? We are almost here and NOW you want to fight?" she raged and he stood his ground not letting her get the upper hand in this argument.

"It will be over twenty days before the nomads return here. You would know that if you paid attention, instead of stacking up for every canine demon that had crossed your path" he growled and she gasped at the vulgarity of his statement.

"How dare you! Stacking up?! Are you insane?" kagome yelled "You have no right to even mention who or if I'm interested in someone, I have the right to choose for myself who I want to be with and it is none of your business.

"You have no right, you're not my father! In fact you are someone who has made it abundantly clear that when the binding curse is gone, you will never even look at me again. So what does it matter if I let kouga, or Sano, or Hojo, or any other man touch me." she yelled and went to the rock face and grabbed on.

Sesshomaru was taken aback at her tirade, she had pinned him in place with the truth of it and he was loath to admit somethings silly as jealousy _._ " what are you doing?" he asked when she began to ascend the cliff side herself, .

" I don't need you to carry me, I can climb for myself." she snapped and he found himself once more at the receiving end of a temper that surprised him in the fieriness of it. He climbed up behind her and watched her feet and hand grips as she scaled higher and higher. " damn you." she cursed him and grabbed onto a rock and lifted herself. " You don't even like me….you make me so angry." she grumbled. And climbed. " how dare you say I was stacking up for them. I didn't ask for them to flirt with me." she snarled and gripped a root thinking it went in deeper than it did and slipped.

Seeing her fall he moved to where she was sliding down the rock face and Sesshomaru caught her, pinning her to the wall with his body. "Hold on to me." he said and she wrapped her arms around him like a lifeline. Looking down, she felt sick and he had to make her stop panicking. "You must stop this now. Get onto my back and hold on to me, we are over halfway." he said calmly and she nodded against him.

" I'm scared...I don't want to fall." she said and he helped her get onto his back and continued climbing. She was crying. He could feel her tears on his neck and was pained by them. " you caught me."she grumbled.

" I did." he said and looked up toward the top of the cliff. Kagome held onto him and he scaled the side of the mountain as fast as he could safely travel with her on his back. She clung to him holding on so tightly that if he were human he would have been choked out from the pressure. "kagome..." he started and she sniffed and made a non committal sound in reply. " I had no right to comment on the attention you have gotten-"

"Or, strangling Hojo, or killing my landlord." she said muffled against his shoulder.

" I will not apologize for either of those" he snapped and tried to control his temper he took a breath and tried to continue. " I-" he tried to explain himself but aside from outright saying that he didn't want them putting their dirty hands on her, he didn't know what to say.

"It's okay." she said before he finished. " I kind of understand why you get so angry, I'm used to the attention, I don't put too much though into a man saying that I am beautiful, to me it means nothing. For you. it must be like being tied to someone who is gets the attention of men that you would usually have nothing more to do with then the battle field." she said and he felt the truth of that statement with the bitterness that his rivals would try and take her." it's still not my fault, and you know that. I am just beautiful." he snorted and made her huffed in indignation.

He was nearly at the top when he felt the wind change and it brought the scent of demons to his nose. He stopped on the cliff side and looked out a t the shadow that passed over them. He looked up. Above them demon hawk circled and he saw glimmering eyes looking down at him with blood lust when kagome realized, he stopped she started looking around frantically and he demanded she stop panicking at once. She tried with little success and he tried to reign in the irritation that spiked in him

"Stop panicking and hold on." he said and took a leap of faith, catching himself on a root that gave him a foothold to get to the top. He felt Jakken grab onto his pant leg as they cleared thirty feet and saw the top within reach. One of the hawks dove straight at them and with the reflexes he had honed since he was ten years old he flipped back onto the hawks back and tried to kill it before it could go into a death spiral with them on its back.

Another hawks dove and made a grab for them, with talons outstretched-kagome was caught and through she tried to hold on, her strength failed her and she screamed as the bird, with a wingspan of a few yards flew up into the sky and off into the hawk beneath him began to die from the poison he had released in its blood, he jumped to the cliff's edge and then turned to the direction that the hawk had flown.

" Lord Sesshomaru, what will you do?" Jakken said. He was somewhere clinging to him, he stepped off of the edge and summoned the remaining energy to summon a cloud under his feet and he raced into the sky after the hawk.

"I will go after her, there is no other choice." he said and Jakken looked at him with reverence.

"How benevolent my lord is, saving the life of that annoying woman, though she is not your lover or your kin. Why." he asked climbing down to stand on the cloud beneath his lord's feet. He was impressed and sat finding it cushy but sturdy.

"Because we are bound, there is nothing more."

kagome screamed the entire way until the demon hawks were nearly ready to drop her. She clawed and tried to burn them but they refused to let go of her. They had young to feed. Kagome expected to be taken high up to a nest resting in the massive branches of the mountain top gold growth, but they flew along the peaks until they came across an indent within a wall and she was thrust into a shallow cave. There was a nest inside that was only distinguished by a cluster of rocks that made a barrier between the edge of the cliff and the eggs that as kagome stepped onto the stone began to quake. She noticed there were several skeletons and pieces of equipment scattered around.

"Skeletons! Ewwww! Are they are going to eat me?" she said and began rummaging through her sutras and was horrified to find her things gone. The rattling of the eggs drowned out everything but the squawking of the hawk outside sounding off.

She heard the sound of wings and made the decision to erect a barrier at the cave entrance and brave the demon hawk hatchlings. " Sesshomaru, you better not leave me here." she said and placed her energy into a barrier.

Sesshomaru flew through the sky and summoned the poison to his claws manifesting his most favored weapon, poison whip. Once given the ability to fly he was unstoppable and even when the hawks summoned the rest of the tribes warriors to fend off his advance he sliced through them until only feathers flew through the air.

Jakken shouted his amazement and praised him as they tore through the enemy ranks. His master was unstoppable, able to summon even the clouds beneath his feet and sore through the air higher than any of Jakkens people had ever dared. With eyes fresh from the swamp, he regarded Sesshomaru as a kami and his power only proved it to him.

The hawks began to flee from him and he scent ed for the woman, though her binding spell drew him straight to her. She was blocked by a barrier, he scanned for a ripple in the cliff side and located her spirit magic.

"Kagome" he called as he hovered just outside the barrier. She dropped it and he stepped onto the edge of the stone and the cloud dissipated in an instant making Jakken jump to the cliff and hang on with his webbed fingers and scurry up the side kissing the stone ground as he flipped over the edge. He heard commotion and saw her out of the corner of his eye scuffling with a hatchling.

"Just kill it." he heard his master say.

" It's just a baby" she replied, wrestling to get away from them. Jakken crossed his arms and sat back to watch as she wrestled with a chick trying to eat her.

"If that baby does not eat you he will die an way." Sesshomaru said going to the edge of the cave and sitting against the wall. Kagome looked at him with horror. Jakken went over to where she was and considered helping her, but was distracted by a pile of bones and treasures in the corner.

"Lord Sesshomaru there are weapons here... can I have one?" he asked and Sesshomaru told him to find the most useful weapon and use it. He dug through the bones and tossed things aside that generated very little magic. He saw something dark in the pile and smiled a wicked grin when he found a staff with two faces. One was aged and wizened and the other was young and beautiful. He felt the power and harnessed it, turning on the hawk hatchlings and torching them, while kagome scrambled out of the way of the fire. Jakken laughed.

"Crazy toad!" kagome said as she patted out flames on her robe. Sesshomaru was still at the wall of the cave when kagome went to the edge of the cliff side to look down. " how did you get up here?" she asked and Sesshomaru looked at her with mixed emotions.

"I flew." he said and she scoffed.

" right" she rolled her eyes.

"My lord is telling the truth, we flew to the very edge of the cliff side and then he stepped onto the ledge." Jakken went to his lords defense and kagome nearly rolled her eyes again.

"Is that why you're so tired right now? Hey are you sleeping?" she said looking back at him and seeing that his eyes were closed in rest.

Jakken pilfered through the remains looking for more booty. He thought he saw the remains of a creature around his size with retainer like garb that he could wear to dress according to his new station. Tossing aside bone after bone, he finally found the sleeve of a brown Shinto robe. He looked around for the hat to finish the outfit and found it crumpled. satisfied, he set aside his tribal cloth to slip into the finer fabrics of a more civilized demon class. Looking at his lord he saw the fine cloths from his time warring and raiding villages.

"Jakken you're wearing cloths-You know they make you look a lot less gross," kagome commented earning a hard glare, she just snickered and leaned her head back against the wall after taking a seat next to sesshomaru.. Looking at him now she nearly laughed. He looked so quiet and innocent while he was sleeping. " if only you were as cordial while awake." she grumbled and yawned feeling exhausted herself.

Sesshomaru did not know how much time had passed by the time he woke up. The burning in his body had stopped and his energy had returned to him. I have twice flown, he thought and recalled the night his father died. It had not taken so much energy, but he also hadn't been fighting a binding curse with the spell caster flying into the distance in the claws of a hawk demon.

Where is she, he wondered and scanned the cave. He felt comfortable where he was, he was warm and there was something soft under his head-though he hadn't remembered having any cloth to bundle into a pillow. He reached to what his head was propped on and ran his hand up the solid surface, he felt a firm warm surface and opened his eyes startled

"watch what your hands are doing, would you!" she said and moved, dumping him onto the ground. "you startled me awake with your hand creeping up my leg." she scolded him and scurried to the other side of the cave " I was being nice too, you looked so tired, that's not happening again." she said trying to defend herself. She was scarlet, and he was pinned down by the arousal that his gesture had stirred in her.

He shook his head and tried to think about getting out of the room. He walked to the edge of the cliff and found the distance to be too much to jump and there wasn't enough foot holds for him to climb so he thought. When Kagome's embarrassment had run its course she looked over at Sesshomaru's back and went to him. " what are you doing?" she asked.

"I will attempt to fly again," he said and tried to build the energy in him once more but he was till drained from the previous energy drain. He frowned and tried once more.

"Aren't you still worn out, I mean Sesshomaru, you walked in, made fun of me for only a second and then passed out by the wall. I even felt bad for you, so it's okay to take a break... look at Jakken." she said and gestured to the kappa who was trying on cloths. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. Kagome thought for a moment and had an idea. " can I try something?" she asked and he looked at her like she had grown three heads.

"What are you going to do from here?" he asked

"You know, you saved my life today, twice, so i'll let that one slide" she said "... stacking up, if you think I forgot that one you are seriously mistaken." she grumbled as she began to call power to her hands and she raised them to his chest. He backed up used to the priestesses magic stinging and burning him but she advanced until he was at the edge and then she touched saw the doubt in his face, read it as she advanced on him and he looked down at her hands like they had purification magic. She smiled and gripped his houri and put her energy into him.

Warmth, he was surrounded by her warmth and he could feel his energy and body healing in ways that his demonic energy could not. He felt her passion and love and he was in awe of the magnitude of her power. When she released him he stumbled forward and caught himself on her shoulders. "What did you do." he gasped, the magic was coursing through him and touching every place that he had been scarred both mentally and physically and was trying to heal him. It was excruciating but within a moment of her letting go he was able to breath again through the pain until it receded into nothing and he felt power.

Standing and flexing his claws he felt larger stronger, more agile and most importantly faster. He looked down at his claws and knew that he had just gone through a major change. "Kagome?" he asked when he looked at her, she was swaying and he felt her energy dwindling. "You fool, you have used all of your power to restore mine, why?" he demanded.

"Because you can get us down from here... Sesshomaru," she breathed and reached out for him to steady herself like he had done while the magic coursed through him.

"But, at what cost of your own, I can gain power when I want to," he meant to scold her but he found himself whispering to her as she faded in and out of contentiousness. He looked over at Jakken and the kappa met his eye, Sesshomaru lifted kagome into his arms and went to the ledge, she was still conscious and held on to his shoulders when he stepped out into mid air and summoned his cloud to hover at the mouth of the cave. Jakken jumped on and held his masters pant leg to ensure he didn't fall off.

"My lord, I have found suitable clothing and a weapon." Jakken said raising the staff into the air.

"What does it do." he asked and the toad smirked.

"I have seen it release poison and fire, my lord, I shall slaughter with this weapon and earn my right to be your retainer." he vowed and Sesshomaru tried not to laugh.

Kagome was weak in his arms, she felt the drain and knew she'd overdone it, but looking up at the sky passing above them and then at his scared face as they soared through the air, she smiled. " jerk." she muttered. His amber eyes glanced down at her, and for a moment they were locked, both knowing that the other was the cause for their state of power and both were grateful for it. " Kagome, I have never thanked you, for anything... I'm not going to start now." he finished and she barked out a laugh that startled Jakken.

"If you thanked me, I would ask who you were and what you did with the real Sesshomaru." she snorted.

"Just so we are clear." he said and she laughed again.

Sesshomaru went to the highest peak of the mountain and landed in more dense forest land. Kagome, feeling more refreshed from the journey stepped onto the ground and stumbled. She reached out and caught herself on something cold and hard. She gasped when she looked up and saw a face carved into stone. " whoa, a statue." she yelled and jumped back.

"Yes, human, a statue, they are inanimate." Jakken huffed at thumped it with his staff.

There are no people here, neither are there demons, I expect that they are all gone and moved down to the valley." Sesshomaru said sniffing the air. Kagome looked at both of the demons like they were stupid.

" This is a shrine, there must be a temple somewhere close by. If there's a temple then there is shelter and maybe a shrine keeper, we have to find it, I lost all of my charms and sutras, when we were attacked by the hawks, I have to replace them before we find something that requires a little work to kill." she said and both demons eyed her not wanting to go to a temple.

Kagome lead the way since she could feel the spiritual magic, she lead them down a goat train that hadn't looked like it had been used in fifty years. Sesshomaru walked along with little interest, she had power charged him and he still felt on top of the world. She doesn't need the sutras- she only wants them to bind me if I get too far, he thought and felt his foot thump against something. He looked down.

"A skull!" Jakken said and he kicked it away. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

When they came to the small building there was nothing there, except for dust and junk. Kagome bowed before entering the shrine and she looked a around for a storehouse. She investigated every building and found most of the contents to be moldy and damp from neglect, she was stubborn though and insisted that they stay since it was near dark anyway.

" I don't care if we stay here," Sesshomaru said. He didn't scent anything off about the place, though it reeked of spirit magic. He turned to the exit and looked out into the night. There was someone watching them, he had a feeling it was the wolf.

He smiled and dared the wolf to enter while he was at pinnacle of power and strength from Kagome's heal. He felt the difference, he felt the physical and mental barriers he had once had in place wiped away, and he felt like a new man.

Looking at kagome, he saw that she was still weak, he promised himself to ensure she both ate and slept from the drain on power she experienced for his benefit. He didn't like owning her a debt, he felt as though he should be aiding her and not the other way around, but, he could not deny the things she had done. She had proven herself to be a fine negotiator, ambassador, caretaker, and had power of her own though not always the stones to use it.

"Sesshomaru, there are beds, real- not straw, beds. This shrine must have been wealthy to afford to leave so much behind." kagome gushed grabbing a piece of cloth from a chest and rubbing it between her fingers.

"They did not abandon this place kagome, they are dead." he said and she gasped and dropped the cloth. " those bones belong to the priests and priestesses who lived here." Finishing with what she was doing, she looked back at her demon companions and smiled as they meandered and she watched Jakken search for valuable things to take with them. "Don't steal, this is a shrine." she said and he scoffed.


	13. did you break this seal?

Kagome was sleeping, curled up on a futon she had dusted off, there were few coverings but she ended up making a nest for herself and slept. She was warmed by a fire that kept the inside of the shrine at an even temperature. To her left, Jakken was passed out with his head propped up on the futon, he was snoring so loudly that Sesshomaru was genuinely surprised that she slept through it, but she did.

Sesshomaru was wide awake, usually, he would be taken with the idea of sleep, but at the moment he didn't feel that he needed it, he was rested and energized- the longer he pondered the notion of sleep the more restless he became, until he paced the shrine impatiently waiting for any sign that the two had woken.

He suspected that the energy boost was linked to the heal that Kagome had performed on him, he had felt it to his very core. He felt different, as if having gone through a growth spurt that he never realized was coming. he stood at his full height now three inches taller, and flexing his limbs, he felt the stretch of new muscles and wanted to test the new limits to his strength. Even his demonic energy had increased, he felt the suppression magic binding him to the woman and felt the burn of spirit magic as a constant irritation. Sesshomaru wondered if he could remove the curse.

He focused his power to break the binding and felt the responding electric current flow through him at the effort of it. He clenched his teeth and tried harder to rip them away.

" it's no use." he gasped and leaned back against the wall.

He looked to where Kagome was, and frowned when he saw her blanket flipped off of her feet, she tossed, kicking her feet in vail to cover them again. "What am I doing?" he muttered as he leaned to pull the blanket over her feet. She settled down.

He wandered through the shrine, wanting to get away from the thoughts that were beginning to plague him. He felt something calling to him, it battered at the edge of his senses and he looked for aura that he detected.

There were several items that had him on edge-Kagome had grabbed most of them and stored them in her bag. She had said they were relics that should be taken to a shrine that had a keeper in order to tame the energy from them. He had refrained from touching them and gone about his business.

But there was something much bigger than those trinkets setting him on edge, he sensed the power of a demon and wondered if the wolf demon was trying to lure him into a trap. He would not put it past the wolf tribe, he had dealt with his kind before, during some shaky alliances, but he never cared for them. They stunk and lived among their beast counterparts, and he found their brand of possessiveness and humor irritating.

Sesshomaru went to a door at the end of the walkway that was locked, he sented for the magic there and found it to be a just behind this basic human lock. He snorted and pushed the door open effortlessly. It was nothing to appeal to the eye, a broom closet that held a number of brooms and tools that the shrine keepers probably used to maintain the property. He walked into the room and had to ducked under the low door frame to enter the room. He had no reason to be in there, but he had a feeling that there was something more about the room then what he saw.

There was nothing worth his time and so he turned to leave. He stopped at the door. Above the mantle was a single dagger. On the hilt, was a seal that while he moved closer, it began to glow until it showed like daylight in the room. Curiosity overcame him so much he had to touch it and dispelled the seal with a surge of power.

Nothing.

He sensed no outward difference when he turned the blade in his hand, he found nothing more than a simple blade and was disappointed. "What was sealed away in this blade." he wondered and left the small room and tossed the knife over his shoulder. It stuck into the wall behind him.

He looked up at the night sky as he walked back to where Kagome was sleeping, opened the door, and was startled to find her awake.

Kagome stood without making a sound, and met him at the door. She stared at him with dull sleeping eyes and he nearly groaned" when did you start sleepwalking?" he wondered and moved to pick her up to take her back to the futon,

She reached out and stung him with her spirit magic.

" What, are you doing." he barked and went to grab her again,he grumbled wondering what she was dreaming about. "Wake up." he snarled as she stung him again. He growled and pushed her, making her stumbled back enough for him to get around her and take her around the middle, restraining her arms and making her still. "Wake up." he yelled making Jakken come awake with a yell.

"Yes my lord. What is going on?" he asked and looked at the woman who was fighting him within his restraining hold.

"There is something wrong with the woman, she won't wake up." he said and Jakken looked at Kagome.

"She is sleeping? Let her sleep then." he said earning a growl and making Sesshomaru loose his hold as she reached around to his chest and zapped him again. She began another spell and summoned a spirit bow and aimed for his heart. He looked at her with amazement, she was fierce, blood lust was apparent, and that was not Kagome.

"You have betrayed me for the last time, Hiko," she yelled and he was stunned, watching her stop before she release the arrow into his heart, she screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground. "What have you done? What is this spell?" she said looking at him as though he had done it.

"What are you saying Kagome, wake up!" he growled and tried to shake her. There was a blinding light when he touched her this time that made his entire world go black.

When he realized what was happening with a blurry awareness, he was no longer in control of his actions and he watched helpless through his own eyes as he circled her throat with his hands and began to choke the life from her, he was consumed in the familiar pain of the curse.

he could feel the pain and anguish of another person's life, he was acting on the instincts of something that was foreign to him. Memories of chaos flooded him, he hadn't killed them, but every one of their deaths had made his love turn against him.

Pain. When her eyes looked up at him in bitterness and rage he felt the pain as if he were feeling it all over again. Sesshomaru didn't know what happened, he looked into Kagome's fading eyes and didn't see the fear and hesitance he would normally see from her, she was angry, gripping his wrists trying to kill him back. At the last moment, they were burned back and pain shot through every fiber of his being, the being inside of him jumped back and gripped the beads in his balled fist.

"You have broken my heart and cursed me. Why have you turned on me Mika? Why did you give up on everything we had and try to kill me" he said as the woman stood. He wanted to both take her in his arms and destroy her at once.

"There is nothing between us, you are a demon and I... am obligated to destroy you for what you've done." she said and began a chant that begun to open a portal around them and they were taken into a realm of shadows.

Kagome could see the realm of purgatory around her, she saw the creatures of the spirit realm walking and prowling through the mist around them-they were out of focus and near intangible but Kagome knew that in this realm they had more power than any of the living.

She saw Sesshomaru across from her, he regarded her with malice. She also felt a kind of malice and betrayal, from another life that moved her to murder. He was a monster, and she had allowed him to trick her into letting her guard down,. She could still see the bodies of her dearest friends, lying broken and torn apart from his claws, she clenched her fists summoning power within her.

"Mika, release my spirit." he said and lunged for her. " I did not kill those people." he said and tried to grab her. She moved to shield her face from him when she saw him drop to the ground, she moved to purify him and was too burned. "This is futile." he breathed and she raged against the defeat in his voice,

"I will never forgive you, how dare you.." she said and moved to purify him again. She screamed from the pain and summoned spirits to reach out and drag him into the darkness and destroy him.

Kagome watched in horror as Sesshomaru began to struggle against the minions of the night and he began to be pulled further and further into the dark. "No... Sesshomaru." she managed through the possession. She didn't want to see him die, the thought made her chest tighten and she found herself battering against the force inside her and tried to retake her self.

Sesshomaru was helpless, unable to move his own claws, and found the spirit possessing him to be both untrained and sluggish compared to himself, he tried to battle the demons spirit within himself and found it to be nothing more than a wolf demon minion.

He scoffed at the idea of being controlled by a wolf, and as he began to overtake the demon. The spirits around him would take him into the death realm if he did not. He fle them touching him, grabbing onto his cloths and he began to panic as he felt himself slip further heard Kagome also begin to over power the spirit that possessed her as she called out his name.

"No, not yet, I have not destroyed him." the spirit raged within her, Kagome was pushed back out of control and the woman stood, now determined to make her kill urged trying to stop the murder of her companion, "I must kill him, I have already let him go too long. It's my fault that they are dead." she began to cry

" I don't do it mika." Sesshomaru tried to defend himself

" did you see him do it? How do you know for sure?" Kagome asked she felt the consideration and the spirit began to pause as she moved to make another attempt at his life.

"Hiko, did you do it? Did you kill everyone?" Mika asked she saw the anger as he denied it vehemently,

"I told you that I did not do it, you would not believe me Mika I loved you," he said and she felt the heaviness of it in her heart.

"But... a saw you. I looked up and saw you standing over poor Saito, you had his blood on your hands Hiko tell me you didn't do it." she demanded and raised her hands to send him back into the black.

Sesshomaru fought the spirit within him. He could feel Hiko's need to tell Mika the things he desperately tried to. Sesshomaru fought the idea thinking that he had better things to do then play along with this feud that had nothing to do with him. I have your body, she will not only kill me, but my host. Let me speak to her. Let me save us both, Hiko urged and he grudgingly let the demon control him. Hiko saw Mika through the face of the woman in front of him. " Mika, I never hurt the people in this shrine, I was here when the demons tore through the countryside and I could not stop it."

"You tried to help them?" she asked trying to see if he was lying.

Hiko stood and went to where she was standing as she released him from her magic" I swear to you I am not lying I was coming to give myself over to the shrine leader and ask him if we could be together. I knew you were sent to kill me but... I had known you so much longer than the time we were together. Mika, I have always loved you."

"Why didn't you tell me before." she said and Kagome felt the waves of grief that nearly put her to her knees. " if I had known... Hiko."

Mika looked at him and saw w the appearance of her wolf and reached to touch his face like she had done so many times before and run her fingers through his mane. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand recalling the passionate embrace of the woman he loved. " I saw that you would not hear me. I wanted you to kill me rather then live with you hating me, I was so angry." he said and drew her closer.

" I'm so sorry for all of this." Mika let go of the spell holding them out of phase with the realm and felt the boards of the familiar shrine around them

"We are together now, there is nothing to hold us here. Let's go on." he whispered against her lips and kissed her, As the spirit left him, Sesshomaru regained the ability to move and he felt Kagome against him, her mouth pressed to his and she was kissing him as though he were her lover. He felt his heart thundering in his chest at the realization of what he was doing and froze not sure whether she was herself or not.

At once, she came to her senses and she moved back from him as if waking up out of a dream she felt the warmth where his mouth had been pressed to hers and touched her lips. " that was crazy." she stepped back from him blushing.

He could not speak. There was so much going on in his mind that he could not focus on anything more then the beating of his heart. He looked around to make sure they were back in the shrine and saw Jakken staring at them open mouthed in shock. He growled and shook the toad from his stupor. Kagome went to the dagger that was still sticking out of the wall at the other end of the shrine and showed it to him.. " did you break this seal?" she asked somewhat irritated with him.

" I- yes." he admitted. She sighed exasperated.

"This seal is to bind a bloodthirsty soul. Do you realize what you could have done? What I could have done to you if it hadn't have been for the binding curse I placed on you" she said putting her hands on her hips. " she was going to kill you,t."

Sesshomaru looked at her, he was angry that the spirit had caused him to do something so scandalous as kiss her. Somehow, knowing that neither of them had any choice in the matter made him feel better, but not much. " I was looking, It emitted a demonic aura and I wanted to free the demon." he answered her breathing slowly.

Kagome frowned and shook her head. " I'm sorry, I should have guessed you would find it, I left it in the store room because I didn't want to deal with the seal. You probably saw it felt the demon trapped and sympathized with him.." Kagome sighed and she sat down.

" wonder why? Does it give you any ideas to consider. Perhaps to let this demon be on my way, or perhaps you want to tell me what my village chief had to say." he snapped clinging to his most comfortable emotion to cover his embarrassment.

" Sesshomaru. We have been over this, also we just tried to kill each other. Are you feeling particularly trusting right now?" she asked.

" I feel like I want to be left alone." he yelled not wanting to go back to arguing but he wanted to get out of the room without more conversation.

" fine." she huffed and left the room to sit on the porch. He went to the wall and sat down, catching his breath and wanting to clear his head. From the fogginess he was experiencing.

" annoying woman." he muttered.

Kagome heard him and gasped at the rage that he had brought on in her. " why you arrogant jerk, release you. I don't even like you right now." she shook her head and looked up to see mool filtering eyes staring at her through the brambles. " who is there?" she called and stood hesitantly. Drawing power to her fingertips she felt the drain on her energy and realized how expended she was from the possession.

" dont worry its just me." she heard a shifting and then saw Kouga emerge from the bushes. " I heard you talking to yourself, I couldn't agree more, he's an arrogant jerk that doesn't treat you with enough reverence. I don't make those kinds of mistakes." he said puffing his chest out as he strutted forward.

" you mean like trying to force me to be yours? Or perhaps tracking me down after we've traveled at least a day away from your den?" she wondered aloud. She looked at this wolf demon and was not afraid, especially after dealing with Sesshomaru. Kouga was nothing compared to Sesshomaru, his aura was weak and he himself was not worth her attention.

" I mean like me taking you back to become my queen. You would be taken care of and respected." he said and Kagome stepped back from him.

" you're forgetting one giant problem with that. I dont want to and Sesshomaru hates you, isn't that already more trouble than i'm worth. If you dont mind im going back inside." she tried to turn around and walk back to the place Sesshomaru was brooding, when she was grabbed by the arm.

" no… your not."

"I'm going to call Sesshomaru." she threatened

"Call him." he snorted and Kagome screamed Sesshomaru's name

Throwing her over his shoulder he looked back at Sesshomaru and dared him to chase after them. He raised onto his toes and took off into the distance faster then Kagome had thought possible, she felt the electric shock of their binding and willed Sesshomaru closer. She could feel him pursuing them and cursing her name the entire way.

Kouga's arms were like bands of iron, holding her from falling and keeping her against his body. Kagome held on, looking back at Sesshomaru before Kouga dropped down into a cavern and began navigating the intricate tunnel system, that laid out before them like spiders legs going deeper into the mountain in all directions. "Kouga, you cannot get away from him, he will always know where I am." she said and Kouga's eyes gleamed.

"That won't be a problem for much longer, you see, I was prepared for him to come after us, I have a surprise waiting for him when we get to the right cavern. Yes, he will follow as long as I have you. And then, he will die." he said and Kagome scoffed earning a dismayed frown.

"You cannot kill him, now or ever, Kouga, l...You won't do anything but make him angry at me for spending effort." she said and it was Kougas turn to scoff.

"You believe what you say Kagome, but you're wrong, that dog likes you," he said and Kagome laughed and earned a serious look from Kouga.

"I told you, when we met that my nose can tell more about you then you could ever say with words. Its truth, I know how you feel about him-"

"I think you are mistaken, why would someone who likes me as you say, act so angry and mean all the time, I don't think he likes me at all, he more acts like he hates... me" she hesitated thinking about her own explanation of the two emotions. And then recalled all the times his anger had been kindled against her over jealousy and bitterness.

" For a man as battleworn as that demon is, there has been no kindness in his life, he could never show you how he feels because he probably does not know how to, think about the months you've spent together." he said making her shake her head at him.

" you're a loon." she accused him

"What I said is true, he cares for you. but you would be the only one for me." he begged her and she was almost tempted to attempt to purify him again when she felt Sesshomaru's raging aura and looked at him with hope.

"Thank kami Sesshomaru get me away from this wolf." she called and tried to get to him.

" I will get you out of here, pain in the ass human." he snapped and she looked at Kouga angrily

" see, now I have to deal with him." she jabbed her finger into Kouga's chest and he gaped not sure if she had meant to challenge him to the death.

Kouga growled and looked over at Sesshomaru with jealousy.. "You aren't going to take my Kagome, you flea bitten mutt." he barked and Sesshomaru clenched his fist and began to gather power to his core.

"try me, wolf."

 **AN: Thank you every one, I will post the next chapter as soon as possible. Read, review and take care!**

 **-Inuyokaidreamer, out**


	14. to the dungeon!

He was panting, his senses on high alert and he asked himself how things had gone so wrong so quickly. Wolves swarmed him, both angry and scared through the chaos of the ambush. It had gone well, at first, Kouga had stood before the dog demon and laughed in his face, summoning wolves from all over the mountain.

They had been his strongest warriors, each manifested into humanoid forms to take on the inu demon enemy. Within moments, they would dismantle him and feast on his flesh and bones. Kouga looked across at the demon male and called the attack, he saw almost entertainment in the demon's eyes and then the silver haired demon smirked. His lips were twisted into an entertained grin when he looked up and began to summon poison to his claws

Taking a step forward, Sesshomaru summoned his poisoned whip and snapped the attention of every wolf with a crack that broke the barrier of sound. As soon as they flinched from the shock of sound he rampaged through them creating a stampede through the normally organized group.

"Regroup" Kouga shouted, and grabbed the attention of his two most trusted minions. " Ginta, Hakkaku, protect Kagome, I will make sure this dog dies here, call the shaman and see if he is ready yet." he said and the two took possession of Kagome with hesitance.

"Yes, Kouga. But what if she tries to escape."

"Just don't let go of her, geez. Don't be such a pain in the ass." he said and rallies his men for the attack.

There was little room in the system of caves to use his full range of attacks but he tore them apart with his bare claws and took minimal damage from the amount of tearing claws and crude weaponry they used against him. The leader was gone from his sight, but he could hear his voice, and smell the stinking confidence that was only slightly beginning to waver.

What a pain, he thought and began to make a path in blood, the wolves that died from the poison writhed in agony for minutes before they succumbed to the poison, others watched in horror until half wanted to kill him, and the other half were terrified and fleeing from his glare.

He was almost enjoying the fight with the wolf clan, they were weak as individuals, but together they tested his reflexes and almost made killing them into a game, he was winning. Half of the wolves fell to his claws by the time he found the wolf leader, they locked eyes and the wolf barked a command that had three of the strongest of the fighters attacking him at once while the two took Kagome toward a narrow passage.

Sesshomaru turned his attention to the wolf leader, and plunged his claws into the chest of the wolf in front of him, ripping out his heart and crushing it. Kouga felt the loss of his warrior like a personal affront, and made the command for the shaman to unveil their greatest weapon yet.

At once the ground began to rumble beneath them and the wolves began to scatter as boulders began to fall down on top of them. Sesshomaru looked around for Kagome and saw that she was fighting the demon males at the door of the passage and he tried to cross the distance.

"No you don't. You're not getting Kagome." Kouga said as he drop kicked him from his left. Sesshomaru turned into the kick, and grabbed a hold of Kouga's leg and threw him against the wall. When he turned back, he saw the groundbreaking apart and the likeness of a giant wolf claw his way up through the ground from beneath their feet.

He looked at Kouga and the wolf cursed.

"Ginta, you told him to use the tunnels right?!" he shouted as the wide eyed wolf met him with stumbling confusion and denial. " Damn-Over here, he's over here." Kouga tried to direct the beast and was met with a howl, it shoved away the demons around him and the wolf turned.

"What Is this thing?" Sesshomaru demanded and went to grab the wolf by his neck but was blocked by the giant's hand when he struck at him.

"Oh, this is something my shamen found while searching our ancestors transformations, it was an interesting spell, cast on my greatest warrior it creates a weapon of ultimate destruction, this means your death, dog." Kouga jumped to the shoulder of the beast and howled a laugh that had the other wolves responding in kind. Sesshomaru growled.

Summoning power he took out his rage on the creature and dealt damage enough to shake the cavern around them. Kouga shouted orders from the shoulder of the demon, demanding he deliver a final blow and destroy the demon for good. As the demon began to step forward the the rock floor began to shake once more and they all began to fall through.

Sesshomaru looked around for Kagome, but with the wolves around him he could no more see her then get to an exit himself, and so he fell. There was a series of groaning throughout the rubble and Sesshomaru looked around and saw the wolf leader worrying over several of his wolves. He looked up when he noticed Sesshomaru standing and he growled. " where is Kagome." he growled and Sesshomaru clenched his fist.

" You took her... Where is she?" he said and walked past him, he cursed the wolf demons and looked around for the woman. He sented for her and frowned when he cold not sense her.

"You have not found here yet?" Kouga said coming from behind him he looked to the wall of boulders in front of him and he smiled when he looked back at the wolf.

"She's dead." he laughed and Kouga gasped and shook his head.

"Dont joke about that ass-hole. That woman will be my mate." he said truly offended by his titillation. Sesshomaru looked at him with loathing, the longer he was around this wolf, the less he liked him. The way he was acting as if he were her concerned mate, made him want to pummel him into the ground. He nearly turned on him when he noticed a faint spike of energy.

"I cannot sense her, she is gone, I can only test the limits of my binding and be rid of her." he said and looked once more at the rock wall in front of him.

"If you don't want her, then let me have her." he said and earned a growl.

" You, will not have her." he growled.

"Make up your mind, do you want her or not?" he asked

"Not." he said getting angry..

"Let me have her." he yelled.

"She will have no mate, not human or demon." he said finalizing that. Kouga snorted and began clawing at the rock wall.

"You are pathetic, give me a hand and let's take this wall down." Kouga said losing his patience with the dog demon. "She was right you are an idiot." he snorted and Sesshomaru looked at him with a hard glare.

"I don't care." he snapped and tried to walk away, he could not. Turning with exasperation he charged the wall and punched a hole through it, descending into the dark behind it. Kouga smiled to himself and went in after.

"You're not going to have all the fun saving her... Hey Mutt." he called and chased after him.

Kagome woke in a heap. She was half pinned under a boulder that had miraculously wedged between the cave wall and her body it had left her just enough room to wriggle out of the hiding place. "What the hell." she groaned and stumbled down the piled of boulders.

She saw wolves littered across the path for several meters in front to of her and she went to each of them and checked their vitals trying to heal him before they died from their injuries. There were two that managed to survive the fall, they were her captors and she was almost away from them as they sped up and caught her by the arms. Grabbing hold of them, she burned them back with her magic.

" lady Kagome, we are honored to escort you back to the den." Ginta said.

" great." she groaned.

Walking down a series of passages she found herself lost, there were rooms that looked as if they hadn't been inhabited in centuries and each of them housed different wonders and treasures that had been collected through time in the wolf clan.

Kagome looked around with wonder right beside the wide eyed wolf minions that. "Lady Kagome, there are few wolves that venture this far under the surface, we are not a deep mining culture, we hunt and gather, the caves serve as a hideout and connect the different tribes but we do not come down this far.

"Who lived here then?" she asked and looked through the treasures. She saw a glinting sword and reached out to touch it.

"No, Lady Kagome, there is a curse on that one. Do not touch it." he said and intercepted her hand. She gave him a doubtful look and he tapped his nose. "We always know." he said and lead her on.

"Ginta, which way do we go?" Hikaku asked stopping at a fork in the path, Ginta sniffed in both directions and he frowned,

" I don't know." he said and Kagome sagged.

"We are never going to get out of here" she complained and went to sit against the wall. "What a night, first the shrine, and those ghosts, and then Kouga and that giant monster, now we're lost." she said to herself and beat her fist against her knee frustrated.

Ginta made sympathetic whining sound and went to sit next to her. " Kouga will come and get us, he always does. He's a good leader." he said confidently.

" great." she said sarcastically.

Hikaku wandered into one of the passages and sniffed for a scent of demon aura or topsoil, which ever one would lead them toward an exit. He scented a slight draw toward the left and got his companion's attention. Hakaku grabbed her and pulled her behind him when he followed after his friend.

" Kouga would kill us, if we leave you, it's better to stay together in unfamiliar territory anyway." Hikaku said and smiled with a fang bared in a crooked smile.

" Well? Should we go in?" Kagome asked looking up at it, " i don't see anywhere else to go."

"We have nowhere else to go. I sense demonic energy behind this door, we should go in, they could be more of our kind, if we can get them to take us back up to the surface, we can meet up with Kouga." Ginta said running his hand over the frame down to the knob. Kagome felt a rush of excitement and nodded.

" Let's go," she said nervously.

Opening the next part of the passage was disappointing, Kagome could see nothing more then a further, dustier and more cobweb infested passage. She felt for the presence of evil as they filed in and was shocked to find them surrounded. Looking around she saw nothing, but when Ginta stepped passed a pile of bones and armour the bones began to rustle. Kagome shrieked and jumped back.

"No don't." Hikaku said in a hushed her scream with his hand. She shoved his hand away and looked at him like he was crazy.

Her scream echoed through the tunnels and suddenly everything was quiet. Kagome opened her mouth to speak but she closed it again when they hear a commotion heading for them. " we need to get out. Hikaku said and tried to pull the door open again, he found it sealed.

"Don't be a baby Hakkaku," Ginta snorted and jumped on the pile to investigate the rustling. He laughed aloud when he found a creature that was wizened looked as though he had been sleeping.

"Put me down." he said angrily and tried to pry Gintas claws from his neck.

"What are you, I've never seen anything like you before." he snorted and sniffed the creature.

" It's evil, and ugly, put it down." Kagome said.

" I'll kill it." he laughed and Kagome jumped forward to stop him. "What are you doing you said it was evil?" he looked at her amazed.

" Well he is, but he doesn't deserve to die…" she said and the creature looked at her with surprise.

"You would spare my life?" he said and Kagome looked at him wearily,

"I don't just kill for the hell of it." she shook her head..

The small creature looked at the situation and then peered back at the commotion that was growing louder with each moment. " you must follow me, i will lead you through to the end of these trials." he whispered and Kagome felt a surge of power in the small creature and he summoned a staff that was fitted for his small stature and pointed it at the wall beside them.

A door appeared and Kagome gasped and stepped back from it. " you must go in there before my people find you in our dungeon." he said and the door swung open with a wave of his staff.

"I'll go." Hikaku said and he scurried through the door. " Ginta there are treasures here, like real gold, get in here." he called and Kagome saw the curiosity in the wolf's face. He looked at her and she nodded for him to go.

"You are evil, i should not trust you." she said and he smiled.

"That is wise but the way is closed off behind you and there is no other choice but for you to follow." he said and motioned for her to go through. She sighed and muttered to herself.

"Sesshomaru you better get me out of here soon. Where are you anyway." she said and walked through the door, it closed behind her.

Sesshomaru was tired of listening to the wolf, he had nearly killed him several times in frustration. The wolf was loud, making raunchy comments and causing Sesshomaru to grab him by the throat and slam him against the wall.

"Have you been filling the woman's head with this load of crap?" he asked. The wolf had accused him of being in love and in denial, not matter how many times he barked at the wolf to shut his mouth he kept agitating him

"Can't take the truth, dog?" he said smirking and Sesshomaru nearly broke his neck, but he stopped himself.

"You are annoying me, I should kill you, now that I have the chance. It would save me a tremendous headache, and as you say if i wanted her i should take her, shouldn't I... I my make her into my slave or give her to the warriors, or perhaps I will use her power and create an unstoppable army of inu soldiers with the ability to heal any wound… You are mistaken about my ability to feel for the woman, she stands in my way, she has cursed me and when i am rid of her curse, the entire countryside will feel the fire of my wrath. I would do it, it is what I am." he seethed through clenched teeth and dug his claws into the skin of Kouga's neck.

Kouga laughed then struggling when Sesshomaru grip tightened and tried to free himself, he saw the hesitance in the dog demon's eyes and knew it was a facade. "you say those things to convince yourself, any warrior could tell that you are ruined just by looking at you, you should kill me, you would if you were still doing as you were trained to." he said and Sesshomaru threw him to the ground with a grunt.

"You're right about one thing wolf. I am not doing as i was trained, i am becoming more than i was trained. I am a man of my own honor and a flea bitten wolf could never distract me. I have more important things to attend to" he scoffed and left the wolf rubbing his throat on the ground.

" yeah like finding Kagome," Kouga coughed and shook his head at the dog.

There were several minutes spent in silence after that incident. Kouga had seen the determination and felt the power through him and realized that the demon walking in front of him was in a league of his own,

There were several passages that carried her scent. The two males searched and found that she had wandered in circles with his two wolf companions, but, she was nowhere to be found by either of the elite canine demons.

Sesshomaru stopped and leaned against a wall that gave way to another passage. Dusting the grime from his arm and shoulder he inspected the passage and saw that she had come through here. "What are you doing in here." he wondered aloud, he went in, and heard the wolf calling to him after he'd been gone a moment or two.

" I've never been in this part of the cave stayed." Kouga said with some irritation. There were things here that he could have and would have been using if he had known that they were there, he even saw relics from his own tribe and wondered if there were thieves beneath his own feet that had plagued his tribe unknowingly for generations.

"Hey, this sword here is my great uncles, he lost it in a battle when we claimed this mountain. The creatures were driven out centuries ago." he said and grabbed the sword and strapped it to his hip.

"Do you even know how to used that weapon? " Sesshomaru remarked condescendingly.

"We wolves use our claws and bass instruments to deal damage, we do not usually use these weapons, this was a gift though." he defended his people and showed him a sword that had been forged with an impressive amount of precious and rare metal.

"Who forged that?" he asked looking at it, it was actually a weapon to behold and Sesshomaru vowed to create a weapon to match his own set of skills.

"It was a legend of a forger, a totosai of the dragon clan." he said and Sesshomaru clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall making the cave shake and Kouga look at him with irritation.

"A dragon clansmen? Are you sure?" he said seething, he still felt the sting of defeat and wanted to make them all pay for the trouble that their clan had caused for him. The entire year had been twisted by his one battle with their leader and his mate.

He brooded and turned his back on the wolf. She was close, he could scent her getting closer as they went through the dingy passageways, but she eluded him, there was nothing around them, not even a whisper of life.

Somewhat together they wandered through the passages in much the same way that Kagome and the wolves had done when he noticed her scent completely going cold at what looked like a solid piece of rock wall. He stopped in front of it and Kouga came to stand next to him.

"What the hell?" Kouga said and reached to the wall to make sure it was real. He stepped forward and felt his hand pass through air and yelped as he fell forward into a door.

Sesshomaru watched with amusement as the wolf leader scrambled around like a pup trying to get his bearings after going through the illusion. "Wolf, it is most unbecoming of a leader to flop like a fish on dry ground." he commented before kicking in the door and being assaulted with the stench of evil.

Walking into the new passage he looked around and saw bones, there were bones and armour everywhere littering the ground and he sented for the beast that had made them. Kouga went to a pile and scented nodding to himself. "She was here I sense her and my two men. She is safe, but I don't see where she could have gone, it all stops here." he said and looked up at Sesshomaru unamused stare.

"She can't have disappeared, she does not have that power." he said and started walking down the narrow passage, there were no doors or offshoots into any other path, "She could only have gone one way." he said.

Kagome was in wonder of the things she saw around her, there was a palace, beneath their feet. The caves and passages gave way to hallways and libraries and rooms filled with luxury that she had never thought existed.

The wolves looked around with the same amazement and all made sounds of amazement when they were lead to a room filled with pillows and furnished with every kind of comfort. Kagome reached to the arm of a chair and had never seen something so comfortable looking, she moved to sit and her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head from the comfort of it.

"This is for you, for sparing my life. Thank you, my master will see you at the appointed time." he said and made a motion with his staff.s table appeared, furnished with foods of all kinds that Kagome had never seen before or smelled. She looked at the creature with some skepticism.

"Why are you down here?" she asked and the impish creature smiled a wicked grin and bowed.

"I have been guarding this dungeon for centuries and none that has entered has ever considered sparing my life, I have never seen but one human that was unwilling to kill a demon, and so this novelty I must share with my master." he smiled.


	15. the trap?

Eyes scanned the surface of the shallow bowl of water. Within its shimmering reflection the image of two demons reflected back to her, she observed the demons leaned forward to get a better look at the silver haired man and was intrigued by the power she felt from him

"How interesting," she said and looked forward into the web her servant had lidr out for them. Bringing her hand up over the bowl she waved her hand and changed the image to the woman and wolves who sat in her own resting area. She smiled as she observed the woman sitting in her favorite chair. "Obviously she has good taste." she smiled.

Kagome laid back in what the imp had called an armchair. She gripped the arms and sighed. "I am so comfortable right now."she said aloud and sagged further down and letting her back rest fully.

Kagome opened her eye and saw the imp crouched with his back to her. She thought she heard him chanting and leaned forward to touch his back. "What are you doing?" she asked suspicious of him.

"I am checking on my dungeon, I am it's keeper." he said with a crooked and hideous smile.

"Where is that master of yours? I thought you said that we were going to meet them. Are we prisoners as well." she asked. Kagome was getting impatient

"No, lady priestesses, you are no prisoner. I must warn you though that my master is deep in study and does not wish to be disturbed. I'm sure you it won't be much longer, please, take a tour through the chambers and enjoy your time here while you wait." he said and summoned a novelty for her to observe.

The imp lead Kagome through the great chamber and pointed out things that she could not fathom were being used across the sea. She saw Hikaku rummaging through a few relics and the imp raised his staff and the wolf began to levitate, the the imp shook treasure from various hiding places..

"Don't steal!" she scolded them when he had been put down. " we are guests here" she said extremely annoyed.

The imp considered her carefully and then nodded and continued the tour. When they had reached a great library he stopped and looked around hurriedly. "I have to go." he said and popped from her sight in a cloud of smoke.

When the imp reappeared he was standing at the end of a long dark passage. He peered at the two demon men fighting at the other end from where he stood. The silver haired demon launched at the wolf demon with deadly intent, and caught him by the throat when he jumped back. The demon bared his teeth and shoved the other hand into his chest as the wolf tried to free himself with a kick to the head.

"You bastard" kinda coughed and broke loose from the dogs hold. He turned and locked eyes with the imp and lunged for it. Kouga scented Kagome on the imp and grasped for it. "what are you?" he growled as the creature jumped back from him and appeared behind him.

"What are you doing here in my dungeon?" the imp said grinning and dancing out of the way of the wolf's claws. As he backed away, he waved his staff toward the wall and danced toward it.

"What is going on?" Sesshomaru said as Kouga lunged once more at the small creature

"I smell Kagome, where is she? Giver her to me, now." he yelled making the imp pop out of sight. Kouga lost his mind, clawing at the door and the cave walls. When the imp reappeared, he was on Kouga's shoulder and the wolf grabbed him, he and the creature disappeared right before Sesshomaru's eyes.

He stepped toward the door and the imp appeared. He stepped back from it and peered down at it. The imp was dressed as a retainer. He recognized the same qualities that jakken had when the creature spoke..

"Why are you in my dungeon?" he asked and Sesshomaru snorted.

"I am seeking my human companion, you have seen her. Her scent is fresh so do not try and deceive me." he said but made no motion to touch the creature.

"I regret that your companion is beyond your reach,y master has taken an interest in you. Master has instructed me to lead you through the dungeon, please follow me." He said and went to pass him. Sesshomaru put his foot out and stopped him.

" Where is Kagome, where did you take the wolf?" he asked but was met with only a smile.

"Are you afraid of what lay ahead, warrior?" he asked and Sesshomaru growled at the implication.

"I do not fear."he answered not backing down. His curiosity was peaked at the strange power that he sensed from the imp, it was more than a normal creature of his class.

"We will see."

Kouga looked around at the cell he was in and shouted his outrage.

In the tunnel system, Sesshomaru scented Kagome on the imp as Kouga had and was almost disappointed that she was safe. He was getting impatient, he had gotten rid of the wolf, now he only needed to find the woman and be on his way. " where are you taking me? There is nothing here. No turns or chambers,there is nothing." he said after a while.

"There is more than meets the eye. Warrior."he said and stretched out his hand and summoned a staff. Sesshomaru sensed something about to happen and braced himself against the wall for support as the passage opened up into a fork before his eyes, the creature looked at him. "which way will you go?"

Sesshomaru smelled power from down the right hand path, the scent of it was pure ecstasy to his bestial nature, it called to him and begged him to take hold of it. The other way smelled like Kagome, if he followed that path he was sure he would find the woman in whatever state she had found herself in when she fell.

He found himself truly tempted.

Kagome was getting bored. Hours had passed since the imp had left her and the wolves had vanished . She was touring through the library and looked up at innumerable novels and books written in languages that she had never seen before.

Kagome felt magic close to her and ran her fingers over the spines of several books before grabbing one and opening it, flipping through the pages. The shelf began to shake and she whirled around and locked eyes with a young girl with strange violet eyes.

She peered at her curiously, and looked at the book she held. " you can't read that." she said and the book was in her hand and sent it back to the shelf.

"Where did you come from"Kagome asked and looked the book that has just been in her hand. The girl was young, she couldn't imagine more than ten years old. "Who are you," she looked into large purple eyes, the girl tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"Buka calls me master, my name is Violet,"I live here" she said and Kagome gasped.

"You live here where are your parents" she asked and the girl frowned.

"They're dead." she said and Kagome shook her head." they were killed a long time ago by a really bad man."

" Mine too. It's really hard to grow up without your parents, but you seem like a nice girl, is there anyone here to take care of you?" she knelt and the girl was surprised.

" Buka was right you are strange… you have a son. I can see him waiting for you in your hut with your sister. He is strong for a half demon" she ventured and reached her hand out to the priestess.

"Yes, how do you know all of that." she felt a little intimidated, Violet smiled.

" You're a good person. You don't belong here. I want to show you my room. These halls are so boring, and it's been so long since i've gotten to show someone around." she giggled and pulled Kagome along behind her.

"I'm waiting for my friend…"she tried but the girl only looked back with her same smile and shook her head.

"He is coming. Let's go miss Kagome, " she said and Kagome felt the power that wrapped around her and dragged her along behind the child, she tried to suppress the fear in favor of optimism..

"Why not, what do you do for fun down here?" she laughed nervously and Violet got excited.

" when he was still alive papa made me a doll house. Do you want to see it?" she asked and Kagome was curious about the girl. She walked out of the library and down the hallway stopping halfway between the two rooms and knocked on the wall.

"What are you-" she stopped when she saw the wall open up into a door. She opened the door to a passage that lead into a room bigger then the entire system of rooms behind them. Kagome began to panic when she saw a cage with a set of bones in it.

The girl skipped past it and touched the cage bars and the bones animated into the likeness of a feline. Kagome backed away but Violet summoned her with flick of her small finger. "Come, see. I just got a few new toys."she smiled and pulled Kagome to a bowl of water that stood in the center of the room. Kagome went to it and the girl waved her hand over it. "Here is your dog" she pointed.

Kagome looked down and saw Sesshomaru. He was fighting a demon she had never imagined existed. A winged man stood toe to toe with the silver haired demon, Kagome saw Sesshomaru go flying back from a strike from the other demons strength and gasped realizing that this demon had to be really strong in order to push Sesshomaru around.

"What is this Violet?" she asked but the girl only flicked her wrist and summoned a new image of a neko tribe she explained that kept her eye on a fw different tribes and villages around the region.

"But, Who takes care of you? This is crazy, what do you do all day?" Kagome said and the girl saw that she was upset.

"They take care of me," she pointed and Kagome looked up at three paintings. There were three demons lining the mantel above a large fireplace Kagome looked around at the paintings then back at the pool of water.

"These men are real?" she asked and the girl danced over dramatically.

"They're my friends…."

Sesshomaru didn't know how things had gone so wrong there was pain, like he'd never known. "Filthy black hearted creature." the demon said and kicked him across the room. He felt helpless, was reminded of times where his father had beaten him in a similar fashion, he got more enraged with each new flash of pain, but the demon met his ferocity with unflinching concentration.

Panting he lunged for his throat but found himself once more at the end of the unearthly blade.

He coveted it.

Wiping the blood from his mouth he eyed the sword. "what is that sword?" he asked and the demon spread his wings. They unfurled with winds that cut across Sesshomaru's bare skin.

" it is never to be touched by the likes of you," the demon said and slammed his sword butt into Sesshomaru's stomach. He exhaled a breath and made a grabbed for it. "feel the wrath of my master's will." he shouted and Sesshomaru was consumed in a white glow.

Pain overcame him. He was pulsing with the energy that flowed into him, but was unable to move even an inch from the electricity that immobilized him. "you are unworthy of power such as this. See how the sword tears your heart. You will soon die." the winged man said with judgement.

He was dying.

He could feel his life slipping into the weapon and fought it. He had wanted this power for himself and now receiving it, he was consumed. He fought the weakness of his mind, trying to put behind him the hesitation and doubt that made the immobilization possible.

Each breath became unbearable, but the resentment never faded. "I want this for myself, I did not want to be absorbed by it." he grunted. He tried to let go, he thought of Kagome and the pain she had caused from her curse, and the pain he had experienced by trying to hurt her back. There was so much more he had wanted out of his life and until now most of it had been spent in pain and anger.

The days and nights he had waited for his moment to kill her or the child left him in bitterness and drained him faster, he groaned feeling his knees buckle.

The winged demon stepped back and looked at the dog demon with cold eyes, he had used this technique over twenty times, and it had always ended in the victim's death, the demon was stronger than most. "Master what do you have planned for this demon?" He wondered.

Violet looked at Kagome and held out her hand. "I like you." she laughed and Kagome felt goosebumps raise on the back of her neck.

Kagome looked at the top of the chest of toys and wondered where a little girl who lived in this cave could find so many. "Where did you get all of this" she asked and watched as Violet danced around the room excitedly.

" Buka gets them for me, and Papa did before he died.". She said holding up a doll that looked remarkably like a fox kit. Kagome took it and turned it over in her hands. Kagome looked back to find the girl gone across the room with another toy that was like a carriage that was shrunken down for her tiny body, she waved Kagome over.

Kagome feathered her fingers through the red hair of the fox kit, Violet saw how much she liked him and was interested. "do you want him? I have a feeling that I am going to get another doll today. Kagome, come sit with me!" she said and summoned her with a wave of her little hand.

Sesshomaru was laying on the ground, he was nearly spent, too powerless to even twitch when the imp looked down in his face and shook his head. "you should have gone the other way, demon." he said. He searched within himself for more malice and hatred to fuel his power, but when he called it to aide him, he was even more weakened by the sword that was fused now to his hand.

"I'm dying." he groaned.

Sesshomaru regretted his stubbornness, he regretted his decision to pursue his vengeance, and having never felt the happiness. He was at a loss. He recalled so few things that made him feel any kind of warmth that he nearly gave himself over to the pain. As his energy faded he felt the connection between Kagome and himself, he knew she was still alive.

With his dying energy he recalled the kiss they had shared, it had been the one show of affection between the two of them. He had recalled the wolf's faithfulness and passion for his human, he saw a vision of his father-The cutting stare was unmistakable, this was the man he had learned from.

" you are weak, you have fallen asleep to your true purpose. Overcome this weapon. You must become even more powerful and take the weapon for yourself. His father said with disgust in his voice.

Malice wasn't working, anger and hate were not working Sesshomaru fought for control, but with every new wave of anger his power decreased. _S_ esshomaru blinked away the vision of his father cursing, he had wanted at one time to become the most evil demon of all time, and had been well on his way before he met Kagome.

She had changed his mind about wanting to kill her, and then his desire to kill the child before he was strong enough to defend himself. It had all been so confusing to the inu demon, but he had made the choice himself to do this He realized he had wanted her, he had tried to fight himself from giving in to it, but she had been his strength. She had tried to repair the broken spirit she had found when she looked into his eyes, she had wanted for him to be his own man and with past he abuse, all the while he had treated her with the same abuse..

The winged demon had almost lost interest when the demon stood up. "No one has ever escaped. How are you standing?" be said as Sesshomaru took the sword in his hand.

" I have something to protect. Where is Kagome." Sesshomaru demanded.

Kagome peered into the pool if water and was shocked when he got back up. Violet frowned. " I almost had a new dolly… Oh well shinobu will deliver him. Do you know if you like him yet?" she asked and Kagome absently shook her head.

"No…"

"But he said your name… Look." she smiled and flicked her finger replaying the scene. Kagome gasped and her face turned scarlet, he had said her name as he stood and squared off with the winged demon. Violet looked at her with Envie.

"Violet, where are the wolves? She asked after a few moments of silence.

"they were being bad, shinobu took them." she smiled. "look." she pointed to the bowl and flicked her finger again.

Kagome gasped as she looked in at the new scene, the room was large and lined with cells lining every wall, in the middle of the room, there was a torture station. Kagome could see a giant of a demon reefing on a crank that tightened chains, a platform stretched as the chains tightened.

"Oh no Kouga….. Sesshomaru!" she gasped when the giant demon was startled from his work and turned to look at the flash of white that swept in from behind him.

"What? You made it past Niesha, no one has ever been able to overcome his draining magic." the giant roared.

"I have, and I will defeat you too." he growled with the imp standing next to him. The Imp looked up at the two women as though he was able to see them and popped out of that scene to the space behind them.

"Buka, i asked you to open the way for him to come here." Violet said.

Buka bowed low and pleaded her forgiveness. "I tried, he took the path of vengeance Master, when Niesha was defeated, I gave him the same choice and his choice was vengeance once again." he explained.

"it's the power."Kagome corrected tham and knew from her binding magic that it was true. "he can't resist it."

Violet smiled, "just like Papa...he will come, just watch." she said and touched the surface of the water.

Sesshomaru walked across the room to the giant and withdrew the sword he had stolen."this is what's next?" he laughed.


	16. only my duty

Niesha, dripping in sweat and panting, looked up at the ceiling of the cave passage and glanced at at the back of the demon he had just been defeated by. _why am I alive?_ He asked himself. He recalled the fire in the demon's eyes, amber had turned to red, he should have been overcome by the swords draining magic, he had wielded that weapon in his master's service for centuries and there had never been one opponent who was able to endure the onslaught enough to stand, let alone defeat him afterward in battle.

" what is driving you?" he had asked as the demon's fist collided with his face, he had been slammed back against the wall and grabbed by the collar of his shirt. The demon stared at him with irritation.

" It is none of your business." he said and slammed him into the wall. He grabbed onto the man's wrist and turned him onto a wristlock but the demon turned into him and reversed it pushing him into the wall again and then flipping him onto the ground.

Neisha lifted his hand from the ground and felt his chest to check for any broken bones. His abdomen was sore, but unbroken. " why did you let me live when you chose the path of vengeance? Why are you here demon?" he said and looked to see buka staring at him from his place away from the battle.

" i do not know the answer to your question, but master has interest in him. We shall see what he is capable of. I will give him the choice again." he said and popped out of sight. Neisha groaned and sat up.

" master, i have failed you." he said looking up into the passage ceiling. A door appeared to his left and he stood and walked to it. He was exhausted, tired from the energy used to maintain his weapon, now it was gone and the power that he had guarded for centuries was with it. " demon, that weapon will only serve a master who protects. What do you protect?" he asked aloud and stepped through the door. "Shinobu, you will have a fight on your hands." he snorted and wondered how long it had been since a prisoner had gotten past him, _never,_ he thought.

Violet looked up as her winged soldier crossed the threshold to her chamber. " niesha, come play with us," she said and ran over.

Kagome was being made to sit atop a high tower she created with her power and a plethora of pillows she deemed sturdy enough to build with. Kagome looked down and swallowed her fear. She looked down and saw the winged demon. Silver and blue eyes locked and kagome was struck with the respect he showed for the child as he knelt and spoke with her softly after observing her discomfort. She nodded and flicked her fingers bringing kagome down and bowing her apologies. " lord niesha has informed me that you do not wish to be up there. No matter, there are more of my dolls i want to show you." violet said and took kagome's hand.

" where are we going now?" kagome asked trying not to sound too intimidated. The winged demon nodded toward a corner of shelving that was lined with toys in the likeness of demons kagome could only imagine seeing in her lifetime, she hought back to the kitsune doll she still had in her robe and withdrew it.

It was small, even more than other kitsunes she saw on the shelf. " this must be a child?" she laughed and looked at the girl. " did you sew these?" she asked and violet laughed.

"No… but this one is my favorite, she is a water sprite, they are extremely stubborn, did you know that….. And this one is a kappa, they are not notorious for being nice." she said and wrinkled her nose at the green likeness of the toad demon.

Violet felt a wavering in her intricate balance and knew the dog demon was coming up on the next choice. She went to the bowl of water and peered into it, she saw her retainer accompanying the demon once more to the fork that opened into the decision to rescue his companion or venture further into the dungeon where things that made her hair stand on end awaited him. Sesshomaru looked at the two paths and looked down at the weapon in his hand, it pulsed with the new power that he had stolen.

He was driven by the adrenaline that had spiked when he was able to stand, he had felt the release of endorphins and stepped past barriers in his ability that had been in place for his whole life. He had been trained to be this way and it had cost him very dearly.

In one hundred and seventy years he had nothing to return to in his village, except for the legacy his father had left for him. He envisioned the woman standigng beofre him and stepped forward to reach out to her. Kagome had tried to shake him awake, she was kind to him even when he was raging. He had watched her for weakness, tested her skill and patience and she had not yet given up, she had bested him, trapped him and because of it he was changing, so much so that his tribe had reacted to it.

He thought about the times he had been frozen in place by her scent and the irritation he had felt and cursed his own stubbornness. " i have wasted so much time." he said and felt dread crushing him,

" which way." the imp pressed and sesshomaru let out the breath he had been holding.

"Can i go to her as I am?" He whispered and looked down at the weapon.

He smelled kagome, knew he would find her at the end of the passage to the right and the other way smelled of pain and death. He snorted at it and felt the power as he had never felt before pulsing through him.

He took the path to the left and descended into a darkness that made the passage before look as though it were on the surface, in daylight. He let his senses work for him and found a trail used by demons before him,, he could smell blood, he could almost hear the agonized groans of demons in front of him, but he was not afraid.

Sesshomaru looked at the back of a demon much larger than himself and he could see the strength of his back even under the leather armor he wore. Sesshomaru heard the clattering of chains and smelled the stench of wolf.

" ahh ugh!" he heard the wolf leaders pained yells and a deep resonant voice.

" all who pass through the judgement into my hands deserve to be here." what have you done wolf?" the demon said looking over kouga, his armor was gone, body stretched over a table with bindings on his wrists and ankles. The demon held a staff and touched kougas chest with the end of it and the wolf seized in agony and dropped back to the table when it was taken away.

Kouga coughed and blood ran down the side of his lip. " kagome where is she. I want her. Give her to me…" he growled and began to fight.

"Why do you call for a woman with only malice in your heart?" he said and tilted his head. Sesshomaru scanned the room and saw that the outer walls were lined in cells. Two rows of cells separated half of the complex from the other side and in the center was the table that the demon stood over.

" kouga, the dog!" he heard one of the wolves behind him and the large demon looked back at sesshomaru. He growled seeing the two wolf demons inside of a cell along the side of the prison closest to him.

" what? You have made it past neisha's draining magic? How?" he demanded and turned and gasped when he saw the sword gripped in his hands. Smelling his allies blood shinobu assumed that the demon had slayed his dear companion. He began to shake and his aura spiked with the rage he felt. " you killed him!" he accused.

Sesshomaru saw the demon charging him and raised the weapon in his hand with the tip pointed at the demon's throat, he felt the power of hundreds of demons auras in the weapon and willed everything inside of him to fight. _,_ he willed himself to clear the hatred from his heart and the rage that made his arm bend with the energy being syphoned from him with it. He gripped the hilt of the sword and breathed out a slow calm breath as he watched the approach of his enemy.

For the first time in a long time sesshomaru looked on at his opponent with not malice but acceptance. " i have not killed your companion." he said and the demon balked.

" don't you lie to me, i will know your heart demon and then you will be placed into the collection with the rest of those who are judged here." he snarled and raised his staff and lunged to plant in in sesshomaru's stomach.

With speed the demon had rarely seen, he danced to the side and stepped farther into his torture chamber, going to a place where he could move more freely. " i do not care if you believe me, i will defeat you and prove my power and resolve." he said and gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and stood ready for battle.

The much larger demon raised to his full height and struck down with his staff, sesshaomru caught the blow in the middle of his sword, it held back the strength of the much larger demon and pulsed in his hands. He stepped out of the force of the staff weighing him down and the demon leaned forward a moment to regain his balance and gave him an opening.

Turning quickly the demon rowed his weapon to the side and struck him three times before he could get out of range. Sesshomaru felt the sting of his staffs magic but unlike kouga he was not writhing in agony. Sesshomaru fought the demon with calculated speed and ferocity but he did not let his anger show one once toward the demon, though shimobu raged with murderous intent.

Sesshomaru saw when he began to tire out, he saw the sluggishness and the desperation and the demon made one more effort to destroy him. He went to the side and pulled a lever that had chains clattering and the demon giant summoned a handful of chains that he began to swing above his head and then they shot forward tying up the weapon and making him jerk forward when he pulled back.

Shinobu was pulling him close, trying to crush him with his strength, after his staff failed to subdue him. "you have taken the life of my dear friend and now you fight me with his sword. I will kill you." he growled and sesshomaru thought quickly, summoning poison to his claws, he began to melt through the chains. When his hands were freed enough to move them, the giants hands closed around his torso and he was being squeezed to the point of bruising pain through his body, he felt his ribs cracking and wriggled his hands to the demon's flesh, letting acid seep out onto his hand and arm. The demon realized his mistake far too late.

As the demon jerked back from the poison sesshomaru dropped to his feet and struck out with his claws and drove it into his chest. Sesshomaru growled and felt the pulsing of veins and organs under his fingers and looked into shocked eyes.

" i have not killed your ally, i will not kill you." he said and let go of the demon. He stepped back and the giant sagged to the floor with blood running from his lip.

" is it possible… no one has ever defeated Neishas' draining magic. How did you overcome it? Why are you letting me live?" he asked in awe of the demon that now looked at him. Sesshomaru didn't know how to answer.

" your weapons are not effective against my resolve." he said and that was all that he could manage.

Kouga coughed a laugh and earned the attention of the demon males. Sesshomaru could see that the wolf demons were bound for torture and felt no pity in his heart for them. " you say that but i know what you are. You can't fool her, she sees the monster that you are and she will never have you. Give it up and let me have her." he said and sesshomaru felt the anger building in him once more. He turned to the demon and the giant looked at him with wariness.

" what are you going to do with the wolf?" he asked and the giant held out the staff.

" you may only use this staff if you are found to have a heart worth judging another with." he said and sesshomaru looked at it. He had no room to judge someone else… but the wolf was a different matter, he was everything that he sesshomaru was except he used the aggressive and forceful nature of his to push people into doing what he wanted.

" you wish to have kagome? You want to listen to her whine and snore and bitch all day about everything that crosses her path? You want to argue with her and constantly listen to her advise that she will give weather you want it or not. Do you honestly even know who she is?" he said looking down at the staff and then over to the wolf's ragged form.

"I-i want her, you won't even touch her. She deserves-" he started. Sesshomaru grabbed the staff, and to the giants amazement walked over to the wolf and looked down with consideration. He felt the weight of the staff and the power it held.

" you don't even know her sister's name, or what kind of life she lives, or what she wants. How do you know what she deserves….. What do you deserve?" he looked down at the wolf and he swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. " you stole her, interrupted out agreed journey, nearly forced her to mate you and summoned a spirit demon to make your will concrete. What do you deserve?" he said and placed the staff over his sternum.

"I'm sorry." he gasped.

" tell her?" he smirked and touched down on the wolf's bared skin. Kouga groaned and writhed in agony sesshomaru could feel the malintent, he could almost see the evil things he had planned to do to kagome and felt righteous rage at the demon male. " how dare you." he seethed and kougas energy began to dwindle.

Kouga felt the change as time wore on from the staffs magic. He was shrinking, becoming less and less able to move or speak and them with shock he was stilled.

Violet grinned and clapped her hands. " i think the wolf is a great dolly. Niesha bring him to me!" she said and pointed to it. Kagome watched with horror as sesshomaru dropped the staff and look down at kougas shrunken state. Kagome had seen the battle, watched the exchange between the two rivals and was at a loss. She watched the transformation and tem looked down at the fox kit in her hand and was horrified.

"Why are they here?" she asked getting violets attention. Violet regarded the fox kit and frowned.

" they are bad." she shrugged and kagome shook her head.

" that's not good enough. Violet why are you trapping people here as your toys. it's wrong." she said and brought the kitsune to her chest to protect it. Violet saw that kagome was upset again and frowned.

" miss kagome there are bad people and demons that need to go somewhere. Pappa made this place so that bad demons could be kept here. Your demon is fine… he must be a good demon." she said and kagome shook her head.

" you don't know who he is." she said and violet smiled.

" do you?" she asked and went back to the bowl to watch the next part of the battle.

Kagome was struck with that question, from the moment they met she had tried to figure out who he was. He was closed off, abused by his tribe, and made into a monster that had been a crucial element to his tribe winning the wars they were in. He was quieter now, more prone to daydream or contemplate his actions then she had ever seen him, and she knew that he was trying to carve out a path for himself. Even he had told her that he was not his father, and he _was_ trying.

Kagome thought back to jakken and the way he worshiped sesshomaru, a year ago she was sure he would have killed the toad to be rid of the burden, now though he allowed the toadying and bowing and bit his tongue when he was annoyed by it. She remembered the quiet almost embarrassed way he avoided her eyes after he had held her for so long. and reflected on his actions, he had begun to take on things like hunting and stopping for breaks for her, kagome smiled to herself. " maybe i don't know who you are any more." she said.

Buka looked at the demon and sesshomaru nodded toward the imp. " i do not wish to see the woman yet, take me to the next trial and i will show you the power of a taiyoukai" he said and the imp looked on at him impressed.

" you do not have to go, the last trial is of execution, there is no more after. Not one demon has ever walked out of Renkas' lair" he said and sesshomaru snorted.

" you would have me fight a woman? Where is she?" he said and the imp sighed. Waving his staff he opened a new passage and without thinking sesshomaru walked into the next lair. Immediately the air changed and he was met with stifling cold.

Snow began to form in the room and as he descended into the depths of this next chamber he was met with the icy stare of a woman who looked at him with disdain. He was used to this and so he met her icy stare with his own.

" what are you doing here? I was not notified of an execution. Why are you in my lair." she said angrily and sesshomaru stepped forward.

" i am going to defeat you." he said and she smiled and let out a hollow laugh. Standing Sesshomaru saw no weapon he looked around for any sign that she was going to fight him and saw nothing except for the resting area that she obviously used as her own space.

" you have made it this far demon, and that is no accident, but i have never been defeated win my own chamber." she said and bent down to lift an object from the ground and sesshomaru looked at the mirror image of himself. He looked into his reflection with little interest and saw that she was grinning. " because the demon you will fight will be yourself. This is my reflection magic." she said and his reflection stepped through and looked at him with bared fangs and glowing red eyes.

Kagome watched the door open and another demon step into the chamber where she and violet watched the shallow pool, he threw a small figurine to violet and she caught it with excitement. The giant of a demon staggered into the room and sat against the great wall. Violet went to him and peered at his wound.

" you are injured?" she asked and the giant nodded.

" yes mistress, the demon was strong,and i was unable to defeat him, but i will live." he said and looked around her to the human woman who looked into the pool with both interest and worry. "What are you planning mistress, this demon is dangerous, if he manages to escape renkas trickery there will be nothing to stop him from releasing all of our prisoners." shinobu said with sincere worry.

Violet laughed and kagome felt shivers of dread run through her. " that does not matter, don't you see. He is overcoming everything just as father once did, he will not release any of our prisoners, when he comes i will give him something of incredible power." she said and smiled resting her chin in her hand. She looked at kagome and her smile widened.

"Why?" shinobu asked and winced at the pain from his injury.

"Because, i like him. He reminds me of father and i can use his strength to help- um- enough of this for now…. It has been so long since anyone has come here that wasn't a thief or criminal. I want to test his heart" she sighed and went to a comfortable chair and summoned the likeness of a heart. It was blackened and she drew three lines in it evenly dividing it.

" to see who the true demon is…. We rip his heart away. First i find his weakness. His rage and destroy him with it… this demon has destroyed his weakness. The second is testing the length that fear controls him…. This demon truly has no fear. The last is going to be most interesting. Not one demon has entered the execution chamber and emerged alive." she smiled and separated the parts of the heart to create shards that floated in front of her.

" what's the last test?" kagome asked feeling nauseous. She had seen him nearly die and yet stand up again and choose to walk into the next trial and willingly take on the things that lay ahead, he was going to do it again, even now she saw the choice being laid out for him and he once more chose to walk into the next trial.

Kagome remembered the cold stare he had made his trademark and felt it as though he were looking at her at that moment. His eyes looked straight at her and she felther chest tightening at the anxiety she felt for him.

" he will face his most deadly opponent." she answered. Looking into the chamber she could see nothing. " where is he? What is going on?" she demanded and the girl sighed and drew a circle in the air in front of her she summoned the image and expanded it.

" he is there, see?" she said and slowed down the image so kagome could see Sesshomaru.

" what the-" she was horrified.

Sesshomaru moved with blinding speed with all of the training that he had been taught for nearly two centuries. His opponent fought him as though he were reading his mind but sesshomaru doubted such a thing even existed as mind reading. He pressed for faster punched more movement and power and fought his wild eyes mirror with calculated precision.

He was sweating, fighting with everything he had and watching his own movements mirrored back at him with wonder. It was like having a wild creature loosed on him and responding in kind. He watched his perfect stance and the deadly intent. With power he summoned his poisoned whip and lashed out at his counterpart. Sesshomaru saw his mirror withdraw his own poisoned whip and the two met with a thunderous crack.

The mirror version of himself lunged at his throat and made a move to rip his throat from his body. "I will defeat you" it laughed

Sesshomaru felt the breath of claws on his throat and moved back and shot forward missing his opponent but gaining access to fight inside of his range. Sesshomaru was practiced in all forms of hand fighting and when his counterpart grabbed his shoulders to flip him to the ground and rip his claws through his gut Sesshomaru turned and used the technique he had been taught to counter his own movement and attack with deadly intent. " i will not be defeated." he snarled and struck his image wrenching his head back and sending him starragring

" you are so weak, where is your killing instinct? You make me sick." his counterpart answered him with his own words. He stepped forward and stared at him with pure hatred. For the first time in his life sesshomaru saw what everyone else saw when they faced him in battle. He saw the hatred, he looked like a pure inuyoukai general with ever fiber of his being and he was nearly filled with the pride of almost two centuries of honing his ability. Now those eyes were turned on him with loathing and disgust.

" i will not loose, i will not be beaten by, this." Sesshomaru realized how futile it was to fight himself as the battle continued without progress. He began to target his own weaknesses. Discarding his conventional style and transcended. " you are not going to beat me" he a ragged breath, he dropped his mirror twin to the ground With a wild drop kick and leapt past his fallen form.

Renka was baffled, she stepped back and felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. "What are you!

Sesshomaru smiled. "I won"

Violet clapped her hands and danced around the room as Sesshomaru turned back to the entrance she waved her arm in a bow, the wall opened into a passage.

Kagome held her breath when his black boots touched the inside of the chamber, the door disappeared behind him and his eyes scanned the room. "kagome?" he said aloud and kagome gasped, startled into movement and went to him. His eyes watched her as she moved towards him and she watched for the anger she was accustomed to. She almost stopped dead in her tracks when she saw relief in his eyes, but kept moving toward him to get away from the young woman with so much power behind her

" I'm here!" she said and stood in front of him.

"where is the way out?" he asked looking into her eyes, he saw that she was okay, he smelled her worry and her exhaustion and for the first time he did not shy away from her.

"there is no way out, unless I say so." violet smiled and kagome turned to look at the girl with wide violet eyes. She scanned the demon with interest.

Sesshomaru felt the concentration of power and looked at the guardian with apprehension, he had never encountered a being of this magnitude and even in the shell if a child he felt the power coming from her as an unfathomable weight that pressed on every surface of the chamber they were in.

" do you know what I am?" she asked and Sesshomaru nodded.

"you are a kami" he answered.

"half right… I am the daughter of the prisons keeper. My mother was the guardian of this dungeon, my father was a warrior who bested the dungeon. It is tradition to take on the Victor as a mate. My father was the first human to have ever come through alive, and the only one until you…." she smiled and saw his unamused glare. Kagome snorted.

"I am too old." he snapped not amused one bit by her suggestion.

" we agree" shinobu said shaking his head at the girl. Violet smiled cheekily and motioned to the woman.

" I know that-. I will not make you stay. I doubt that I could… the prize that I will give to you is this. Inu Youkai, Sesshomaru, my reward for defeating my dungeon is a weapon worthy of your strength." she said and summoned a sword to her hand. He felt the evil dripping from it and recoiled. " take it in your hand your heart has been judged, when killed by this weapon, the victim is transported to my dungeon. My reward is power, demon. Do you understand?"

He looked at the weapons knew that she was giving him the keys to her deungeon, she was going to fill her cells with his victims. He snorted at the two fold gift. "a sword made for your own gain?" he pointed out and she nodded.

" this used to be my father's duty to restore the balance of good and evil in this land. You can only use it if your heart is found worthy…. If you show weakness… Tokijin will destroy you and you will become a possessed mindless beast hell bent on destroying the earth. If that happens I will destroy you myself." she said making it a warning.

He looked at the weapon and stretched out his hand to take it. On contact he felt the souls of a husband demons, they raged and tried to overtake his will. He laughed and took the weapon battered against his resolve and he resisted the lure of domination and straped it to his body.

"I will do this only at my discretion I will not be controlled by anyone." he said accepting the gift with reluctance. " i do not want your interferance in my life." he said honestly

"oh I know." she laughed and looked between the demon and priestess. " I like her, she's nice." she told him and winked. " miss kagome, do you have the dolly I gave you?" she asked. Kagome withdrew the kitchen and she looked at it with pity. " keep him, I think you might be able to help. Take this." she summoned a vial and sent it to kagome hand. " I will warn you, he is hell bent on vengeance for the death of his parents. His heart is black…. But he is still a child and so I give him into your care. Release him when you are ready. One drop of the potion will release him. You will carry the antidote" she said

" but-why?" she asked Violet smiled.

"because, your heart is worthy. And i need the two of you" she said and opened a portal. " I am so glad that you walked into my dungeon. Judge carefully. The sword will try to warp you. If that happens you will return and face the challenges once more." she warned and he scoffed.

"kagome let's go we have wasted enough time." he said and turned to the portal. Grabbing her arm he lead her through. Stepping through, his boots touched down on soft dirt and he was taken back to the shrine. He heard crying, wailing, and he knew it was jakken from the shrill tones that cried out his name. "jakken!" he said aloud and the crying stopped.

Jakkens' puffy green face poked out from around the corner and he squealed in both amazement and relief. He jumped from the porch to attach to his leg and he grasped him with demon strength."lord Sesshomaru! It has been three days! Where have you been?" he said and saw the woman looking around.

"three days?" kagome gasped and jakken nodded emphatically.

"three days! I thought I had been abandoned!" he cried out in bitterness.

"we were being held by a guardian kami." Sesshomaru said and jakken gasped and felt his heart race. He backed away and bowed with reverence.

"You've escaped? You are truly great my Lord" he said into the ground. Sesshomaru looked back at kagome and she was recoiling from him.

" listen, Sesshomaru, I am sorry you had to rescue me…." she started anticipating the anger he usually turned in her. When she looked at him she was surprised to find him looking at her, his eyes bored into her and she stumbled through an apology.

"I promised to protect you." he answered stopping her in the middle. Kagome blinked at him watching for his temper and when she saw that he was genuine she smiled.

"thank you."


	17. if that is what you want

Kagome watched him from a distance. Her eyes absorbed his still features, he was sleeping, sitting up against the side of a bolder and he hadn't moved in a full day. He had declared that he needed to rest and they had stopped their travels to rest that night. It was nearly night of the following day and she was getting worried.

She was debating whether or not she was going to check on him. Still not moving towards him, she had only managed to watch him, for hours.

" what are you doing, let lord sesshomaru sleep, human." jakken remarked looking at her as though she were a nuisance. Kagome huffed and turned her back on the small pest. " stubborn human, it would serve you right if lord sesshomaru kills you." he grumbled and kagome gasped and grabbed the toad by the back of his tunic.

" i should purify you little toad." she said and pulled power to her fingers and held the glow in front of his face, he began to struggle and she smiled and dropped him.

Kagome grumbled to herself and went back to watch sesshomaru. She knew he would probably not appreciate her staring at him, but damn it, there was nothing else to do. And as long as his eyes were closed they werent going any where.

They were sitting precariously on the top of a boulder that overlooked a great distance. They had left the shrine a full day before and had finally reached the point where the cloud city would touch down on land. There was still two weeks before it would arrive. She looked into the distance and saw nothing but the endless matt of clouds and the land below. There was nothing to indicate a cloud city anywhere.

She wondered if inuyasha would also be like this. Ever pursuing power and fighting for everything he has. She remembered the woman she had received the child from and felt the heaviness of the memory. She had given Inuyasha a name with her dying breath, she gave him to her. She loved him, missed him now. Even the thought of the fast growing half demon was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

He began to open his eyes when he smelled the scent of her tears. It was so opposite of the dream he had been having that it startled him. When he saw her he knew she was thinking about Inuyasha and watched her for a moment before she noticed him.

In his subconscious he could take her in his arms with no resistance and hold her against him and she would nuzzle and sniff his hair and neck to take in his scent like a proper inu female, he could nearly feel his canines biting down on her soft skin, holding her to him in a show of dominance. He tried to shake away the dream to come back to the present

Their relationship had been quieter since leaving the dungeon, moving away from the shrine had been both a relief and a burden, there was nothing else further up the mountain then the shrine.. He wasn't sure if she was trying to appease him with her quietness, but after nearly ten months of listening to her rattle on he missed the sound of her voice.

" kagome," he said and she gasped startled and wiped her tears away quickly she turned and faked a smile that he instantly saw through.

" oh your awake, good, did you sleep well." she sniffed By now she was used to his sullen nature and didn't really expect him to reply.

" yes, how long was i asleep?" he asked startling her once more.

" one full day," she answered. She watched him stand up, jakken was beside him at once wiping away dirt from his cloths, he pulled away from the toads care and told him that was looked down at his hands and felt regenerated completely.

" i thought about waking you up, but you looked like you really needed the sleep. I don't mind waiting for you. It's not like there is anything to do." she said and looked over the edge of the great boulder.

She felt the wind break and leaned back away from the edge. She was used to the wind and the distance, she had watched it all nervously at first but after a full day she was at ease on the edge of what seemed like the entire world. Looking out at it, she wished she could look out at the land like this forever. She thought of standing here with inuyasha one day and could not help the excitement she had in wanting to see what kind of person he would become.

Blue eyes looked to his profile and she absorbed the now sarean being in front of her. She felt the change in him. Her eyes absorbed him, he could feel them and felt the uneasiness that she was feeling toward him. He was drawn back to the image of kagome sitting beneath the big tree outside of her small house holding on to inuyasha. It was that image that sat with him as he watched her.

Kagome felt the weight of his stare and was confused by it. He had been looking at her every once in awhile and she would get the feeling he was thinking about her _._ She didn't want to invite a fight after the last two days had almost been peaceful… but he was not acting like himself and wondered if he had been possessed in the dungeon. She looked at the sword strapped to his side and was truly unsure.

Kagome knew she was asking for an argument, but seeing how differently he was acting she wondered if she was being escorted by another demon.

The longer she thought about it, the more suspicious of him she was." sesshomaru, i hate to bother you, but i am really hungry." she began and he nodded. She knew he was going to reach for her bag with the dried fish and supplies she had harvested and she stopped him nervously. " i was actually hoping for something fresh…" she tried and he looked at her wondering if she was serious. She feigned more hunger than was necessary and was amazed when he bit his tongue and turned to scan the surroundings.

" my lord, she is out of line, that puny human can hunt for herself!" jakken said with outrage.

" silence, i will go." he said and turned. Kagome tried to hide the surprise when he walked into the sparse trees and returned with two small birds. She turned around and crouched holding her face and wondering if he was going to turn around and see her suppressing her amazement "there are few creatures this high in the mountains, if you want something more, then we will have to descend the mountain." he said over his shoulder, she was sure then that he could not be himself.

Kagome was scared, not sure what kind of being had possessed sesshomaru. She thought of the mirror image of him and wondered if the real sesshomaru had been beaten in the dungeon after all. She shook her head at the birds and she saw the hint of anger in his eyes. She expected him to throw the birds at her and tell her to eat them anyway, but he didn't.

Sesshomaru swallowed down the irritation. " fine, let's descend the mountain then." he answered with barely contained irritation. He saw her give him a look of scepticism and knew he was being tested. He took a breath and went to her and picked her up. She gasped and he walked to the edge of the cliff.

When he was at the edge she grabbed his shoulders as though she were afraid he would drop her and he looked at her amused. " what are you doing." he said and summoned his cloud transport at his feet. She took a few breaths and calmed down when he was steady.

" i- um…..thought….Nevermind, i'm being silly….. I hope." she said and he took some sadistic pleasure from the nauseous look on her face when they descended. Jaken tumbled on to the ground and gripped his staff trying not to break it when he fell.

" i will find something adequate to eat." Sesshomaru muttered and set off. She watched him and he stopped to wait for her. " will you not follow?" he asked and she raised both brows and gasped, she went to catch up to him, but not walking beside him, knowing that he preferred to hunt in solitude.

It was not too long before they found a kill. Kagome did not have to ask him to butcher out the deer he had found, he did it on his own, and when he presented her the meat. He met her challenge and was unwavering. When he looked at her, they locked eyes and she looked as though she were about to say something, but she stopped herself and was lost in thought still watching him.

"Sesshomaru are you feeling okay?" she asked him after a second or two of silence.

" why do you want to know?" he said a little harsher than he meant to. He cursed himself under his breath and looked at her once more. Her eyes were devouring him, she was looking for something, and he began to feel uncomfortable.

" do you remember my sister's name?" she asked and he began to get frustrated.

" what do you want from me!" he growled and presented her with the cooked food. He shoved the food into her hands and waited. He was fuming, he had failed before, this time he was adamant at her acceptance now. " does this too displease you, woman?" he asked scathingly.

She looked down at the charred meat and looked up at him suspiciously. He was watching her now. Seeing nothing more out of the ordinary, she smiled " this is just fine, thank you." she said began to eat. He nodded to himself and settled down.

She ate quietly and watched as jakken and he began to take notice of the surroundings and he began to mark the trees with claw marks and jakken imitated him with the edge of his staff. " what are you doing?" she asked him.

"I am marking the territory to warn the wolves away…." he said taking a breath and chastising himself again for losing his patience.

" oh… you're feeling okay though right?" she asked and he growled and felt his fist clench. He took a breath and leveled with her.

" kagome tell me what you want from me. Have i displeased you in some way? Why are you staring at me, and suddenly interested in my well being." he snapped and she scoffed.

" i am always interested in your well being…. You're acting weird. Your being civil. You haven't commented on my smell or yelled at me for having to tote around a human nuisance. Sesshomaru you haven't even leveled one tree since we got out of that dungeon and i want to know… if you…" she started and dropped off not sure how to proceed.

" i what!?" he demanded not letting her back away from this. He wanted to know what she wanted from him if civility wasn't good enough.

" were being possessed." she said finally and he dropped his shoulders.

" what?" he said in amazement. Kagome bit her lip and turned. She was embarrassed after making her suspicion known and seeing that he was genuinely shocked. He turned to scoff and kagome began to get angry.

" why _are_ you being so compliant… you are never willing to help me…. Ever and now your building my fire and cooking my food. What are you trying to do!" she said feeling confused beyond belief. What he was doing was something she expected from a companion and not from the man that took every opportunity to tell her how much he hated her Sesshomaru could not say what he wanted. He brooded, refusing to look at her and making her exasperated beyond belief. " why won't you at least talk to me… you've never talked to me about anything. You're always closed off and i can never tell what's going on with you!" she tried to hold him responsible for his actions.

" what do i say to a human? There is nothing to talk about." he replied not knowing any other way to be.

" nothing to- Sesshomaru there is everything. Tell me what you like, what you want out of life. What are your favorites. Talk to me about what you think about things maybe give me your opinion on things or advice. Sesshomaru there is an entire world of things beyond fighting and war. If we talked about basic things like how things affect you i could trust you rather than think you're possessed every time you do something unexpected." she tore into him and he felt the challenge of her words.

He thought about what she had said. He saw the logic in communication and realized that the subtle things that you used to gauge their companion was lost on her and cursed. " i have never talked just to waste time." he admitted.

" that's a start… there was no one you could talk to?" she lead and he rolled his eyes.

" i could talk to my mother." he said and she waited for him to say anything further. He didn't.

" why was that?" she lead him and he began to get impatient again.

" because, kagome, as a warlord's son there was a great reward in undermining our line, anything could be used as a tool to gain and take, there is no room for unnecessary speech." he said and she looked surprised.

" how sad. But you know, i had a similar experience, not being able to trust the people around you is hard, it's good you had your mother to go through it with you." she said and he raised his eyebrow.

" how could you possibly understand what i went through." he said. Kagome smiled weakly.

" well… my father was a shaman, who was disgraced and driven out of his shrine. We traveled with him for most of our lives in banishment. There were many villages that knew us and made it difficult to find any work." she explained and sesshomaru sented for deception and saw that he was truthful.

" where is your father now?" he asked and her smiled faded.

" he's dead. He got really sick and died many years ago, when kikyo and i were in our early teens." she answered and he was struck again.

" where is your mother then?" he asked and she shook her head.

" died before i can remember, i have kikyou… and inuyasha they are my family… i have an aunt" she said and he found himself thinking about his own role in her life, he wondered what she saw him as. " what were your parents like?" she asked.

" i did not know the man my father was at his death. The man i knew was every bit the pride of an inu general that at least did not change. My mother has her own way of thinking. Right now she is angry at me." he said and kagome was was

surprised.

" why would she be angry at you?" kagome wondered.

" I-i was like the man that she hated… i was just like my father." he said and kagome was surprised that he felt that way.

She opened her eyes and saw the vulnerability that he had been masking. " do you mind if i ask you a question?" she ventured and he braced himself for a hailstorm of questions.

" ask, what you will." he said and

" i was wondering if you wanted to go back to your tribe if we can ever get this binding worked out." she asked and he thought carefully.

" no there is nothing there for me." he answered and she was happy about it. He noticed the tension release from her shoulders. " why do you want to know?" he asked

" well- while we were there i saw the way that people were treating you. I didn't like it. I think you are strong enough to not have to rely on the tribe to live and you could probably be happier if you could live the life that you want rather than the one they want for you." she smiled and he snorted.

" i already knew that much. There is something i want to know from you. Kagome." he said remembering the tribal leader of his tribe.

" it wouldn't happen to be what your chief asked me to tell you when you were ready, would it?" she asked and she nodded once.

" tell me, now i have never been more ready in my life." he said and kagome glanced around and felt the dread in her heart.

" but everything was going so nicely… and we just started communicating… i don't want you to be angry with me again. She sagged and he raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

" woman, they are my chieftains words i will not be angry with you… now tell me." he said and kagome looked up into the dusk and feigned tiredness.

" i was warned that it may make you upset… that your mother should tell you. She would be better at it! She knows you." she tried and sesshomaru shook his head.

" kagome my mother doesn't know me, i have shamed her in what i have become… tell me now." he demanded san kaong broke.

Night was spent in silence. Kagome wasn't able to sleep and she knew that sesshomaru was not going to be back for a while. Jakken watched over her. He had demanded that should she die, jakken would too and had swept past all of them to go walking through the forest in the night. She sighed. " i shouldn't have told him." she said to herself. She recalled the look of wonder, then it had changed, first to shock, then anger and then pure outrage. She thought he might attempt to kill her again with the rage she felt from him but he only backed away and told her he would be back… four hours ago.

She worried over him, tossed and turned while he was away and when he returned, she sat up and looked at him apologetically. " i'm sorry i kept that from you." she said and he shrugged much to her surprise.

" it was bound to happen, do not trouble yourself further." he answered and she looked at him with shock. She nodded and tried to lay back down.

" sesshomaru, you're not such a bad guy. What happened? The man i met was terrifying. What changed?" she tried and he could not answer her. He could not say the things that had lead to his still progressing transformation.

" i learned a better way." he said and kagome beamed. She felt pride.

" you are making me so proud of you. If kikyo could see you. She would not believe how you have changed. She told me to give up on you every day but i knew that you could change your heart, when you were ready." she said smiling into the cloth of her robe that she had bunched into a pillow.

" i had not reason to change before." he said simply and she chuckled.

" why now then?" she asked and he didn't answer.

When kagome finally fell asleep sesshomaru walked over to look down at her sleeping form. _Because of you._ He thought, sesshomaru retreated once more and he and jakken eyes met. The toad was treading carefully, he too suspicious of why e was trying to initiate a relationship with her.

" my lord," jakken bowed as he walked by.

" jakken, do you have something to say to me?" he challenged and the kappa thought carefully.

" my lord, there are so few people with the power that you have, wouldn't you be happier with a demon companion, this woman is childish, making you talk when it is such a base form of communication…. She does not understand you even then-She's not an inu youkai."

" ….. She's not an inuyoukai. I don't speak to others often i don't know what to say, but… i am determined." he said feeling that it was right for the moment. Jakken considered him and nodded.

" if that is what you want. I believe that you should do it…. It's only speaking to her after all" he said as though he thought the whole thing silly but his lord seemed to consider this carefully and he acted as though it were his idea.

" i will do it." he replied and Jakken nodded.


	18. demon cat

Kagome opened her eyes to the smell of food. She took a deep breath and sat up wiping the sleep from her eyes. She looked up at the sky before scanning her surroundings and frowned. "it's almost afternoon." she said.

" Yes human you have been graced with my lord's patience." jakken commented. She noticed that he was carrying rocks and she looked around to see a small pile of rocks stacking up as a pile not very far from her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat and she snapped her attention to him. " he is doing my bidding…." he said aloud but she noticed that he was irritated.

" Oh yeah?" she asked and jakken huffed. She saw him looking at her like she was filth and wondered what had happened between them. He's having him carry rocks? Why to keep him busy? Kagome got up and stretched.

" Finally you lazy wench. Since you have slept. I have had to pick up your slack. First it was getting water. Then starting the fire, then skinning out the meat, then gathering these rocks…. Do me a favor and never sleep in again." he yelled.

" You could have woken me up." she said getting angry at the attack.

" I told him to let you sleep." sesshomaru said and kagome turned on him now.

" Why?" she asked suspicious of him. He sighed, knowing that it was going to take some time for her to believe that he was truly ready to let go of…. Most of his anger.

" Because, for the last several days there has been little time and no situation to get rest. There is nothing here to disturb you. I thought it was fit." he said not missing the genuine shock that lit through her. Kagome took a step back, not sure if she liked the way her heart fluttered in her chest from his consideration. He's acting so different. Why is my heart pounding against my chest now…. It was the dream i was having…. I wonder if he knows. Kagome chastised herself thinking about the things she dares to dream about.

She didn't always dream of him romantically, it had started after she visited his village, the harshness of his reality had stirred memories of her own life, she started dreaming about her father again, she had been since he met him, but really after the night in the inu tribe. She had thought it was funny that the things her father had taught her about living around a man, being raised without her mother, had helped her to adjust to the life she was now living with this demon. Her feelings for him were not something she'd spent a lot of time reflecting on. He was there, and not going anywhere any time soon.

When she met him he was rude, callous, dangerous, and violent. In front of her eyes she watched him commit unspeakable terrors and had personally been terrified of him, until she had decided that she was not going to let him bully her that way any more. She was not going to be afraid of the person she was bound to. With that she began to work on him, make their life together bearable and even become friends with him and take the threat away altogether. That had been her intention. But it had always been up to him to change.

Looking at him now she was barely able to keep up with his transformation, he was truly capable of becoming great. He was reaching out to her now, wanting the easiness of a true companionship and she felt like the tables had turned altogether and she was now the one who needed to grow up. It's been three days since we emerged from the dungeon, i watched him win the challenges, i watched as his heart was judged and he overcame it all...he's trying to heal from the life that he'd lived before. I can't believe this is happening, but i can't deny the things that he's tried to do, he's actually trying to bridge the gap between us. She nodded to him and thanked him with a small smile. She noticed the way his features relaxed at her acceptance and he turned and made himself busy with putting out the fire. Jakken squaked at him when he kicked a pile of dirt onto the fire and then he ordered the toad to remove the rocks..

Sesshomaru was feeling a little rumpled from the looks she was giving him. He knew she was going to be difficult to convince that he was sincere, but this felt ridiculous. He wasn't hurting her, he wasn't doing anything and yet he was still paying for his past anger. Her eyes bored into the side of his face and he tried to escape the awkwardness of the situation.

" did you sleep well?" he asked and she turned to him with weariness.

" well, it was the first night's sleep, where i've slept this long since i left home." she said and he nodded. " did you get a chance to rest?" she asked.

" i took time to meditate." he answered nodding and she nodded back liking that he was now answering her questions.

" what do you meditate on?" she asked him now curious.

" i reflect on my time spent in training, and i think on ways to improve my concentration and manage my aura." he said without flinching.

" is that all?" she said slumping slightly.

"What are you asking me?" he asked and she tilted her head and turned to him.

"I think it's interesting that you always try and find out why i ask you questions. I'm not motivated by an agenda, i don't want anything i'm just curious…. Why do you do that?" she asked him.

" there is obviously a motivation behind your questioning. I have no patience for games. It would be more efficient if you asked me outright what you wanted. Do you want to know if i ever get distracted. Yes. if you're asking if i always think about training , yes. For me, there is nothing more to think on." he answered and she was taken aback.

" yes…. You're right, there is a motivation. It's kind of silly. But i'm actually curious about you. Ive known you for almost a year but i don't know much about you… just think. If a demon held me by the throat and said that if i didn't tell him your favorite color he'd kill me… well i'd die." she said

" that's ridiculous. I would never allow someone else to strangle you." he said and kagome balked. He snorted.

" see! You have a sense of humor that's really understated…. That was funny! I wish i knew you. That is the motivation." she said trying to make him understand. Sesshomaru thought for a moment and made the decision in himself to stand. He walked to where she was and without flinching he drew his blade and held it out to her.

Kagome looked at the blade of judgement and hesitated before placing her hand over his on the hilt and taking the weapon in her own hand. She felt the energy of a thousand demons and she thrust it back into his hand. Gripping her hand with his around the hit of the weapon, sesshomaru answered her. " i am sesshomaru, the sword that will protect you. I owe you a great deal more than i've ever wanted to admit. I am ashamed that it has taken so long for me to realize what i've been doing. I have thought about how i would say this to you. I have replayed many things that were only excuses and unworthy of your consideration. But, Believe this, i will fulfill my oath to you and return you to your sister. Unharmed. This is my promise and it will be fulfilled. Everything else is aside. Does this adequately explain my actions and answer your questioning?" he asked.

She was speechless, nodding becaused she could do nothing else. Seeing that he had indeed broken through to her he nodded and took back his weapon, resheathing it and letting his eyes linger on the blush now boldly staining her cheeks before turning and going back to his menial tasks of preparing to depart.

Kagome wandered through the forest, she was humming softly to herself and looking for a tree to relieve herself on. She spotted a large oak and ducked behind it to have some privacy. She knew sesshomaru was not going to peek. He had rolled his eyes and told her not to get lost.

Sighing from the relief of pressure in her stomach she stood from her squatted position and righted her clothing again. She looked around and noticed the mid morning bustling of the animals and the creatures that lived there. She found herself entranced by the dappling of the sun's rays on the forest floor. Taking the opportunity to look around she toured the forest floor.

" meaw" she heard and got really excited. After a few minutes of scanning she saw large yellow eyes looking her from under a bush. She watched as a large ginger feline stretched and began to walk towards her. She cooed at it and knelt to receive its nose when it leaned forward and touched her hand with its. Her heart melted and she teased it a little making the cat come closer to recieve the scratching she offered.

Picking the cat up she was determined to keep it. " your such a handsome boy" she cooed and made sure that she was calling him by the right gender. " yep a little boy. Do you think big mean sesshomaru will let me keep you. You're sooo cute." she said and the male cat purred loudly and leaned into her scratching.

Kagome was giddy holding the cat to her chest and hurrying back to the place the two demon males waited for her. " sesshomaru!" she shouted and he looked up and locked eyes with the cat in her arms. " look what i found!" she was so excited that he buried his anger at her presenting him with a demon male. The cat was rubbing against her like it was in heat and he about took i by the scruff and threw it.

" you have brought a demon male." he said and she looked confused.

" demon? He's a kitty! I love cats." she said excitedly.

" kagome you love every animal." he said and she gasped.

" you sound like kikyou!" she said and held the cat up in front of her. " you're not a demon are you kitty.?" she asked and the cat looked at her with wide yellow eyes that were half lidded and she brought him back to her chest and he snuggled in and put his chin on her shoulder. " awww he's tired!" she squealed softly and sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

" kagome, i hate to- actually i don't. That is not a cat. That is a neko youkai and you are being felt up right now. Give him to me and i will show you." he said and stretched out his hand. Kagome looked at it and then looked at the cat who was now looking up at her like he had understood what he had asked. Kagome noticed this.

" are you going to hurt him?" she asked and he shook his head.

" i will not….unless he continues this way." he said and kagome sighed and went to give him the cat. The ginger cat looked up at her and held on with his paws stretched around her middle as she tried to remove him. " i told you." he remarked.

" i'm trying, i think he's scared of you." she said and sesshomaru smirked.

" he should be." he said and grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck. He went limp in his grasp and sesshomaru growled. " show yourself." he demanded and let out his aura to intimidate and reveal true nature.

Before her eyes kagome witnessed a transformation. She saw his limbs grow from a normal cats into a man's and he stretched out and filled in to transform into a very handsome cat demon. With fire red hair and big yellow eyes like her cat. He looked at her and smiled kind of sheepishly. "you going to get me out of this situation, right? I didn't mean to deceive you. I just saw the opportunity to investigate my neighbors." he said and Sesshomaru let go of him roughly.

Kagome was embarrassed. " you were the cat? He was right? I let you- oh sesshomaru!" she said outraged.

" i told you from the beginning." he said and looked at the demon.

" i wasn't feeling her up i swear…. I happen to like humans they have perfect nails for scratching." the red haired male said to her with some indignation. Sesshomaru scoffed and raised his fist to strike the demon male.

" get him lord sesshomaru" jakken shouted taking his side.

"Whoa…. I'm not lying. I'm mated…. With nine kittens." he said and sesshomaru hesitated. In all of the demon males the'd encountered none of them had mentioned being already mated. Weather it was so or not. He sented for the mate and kittens, and found his story to be accurate. He lowered his fist.

" What are you doing here then? I have adequately marked this territory you could not have just walked into my domain without knowing who you would come across" he said having no mercy on the neko.

" First allow me to properly introduce myself." he turned to kagome and bowed low in respect. "I am Youkio, neko of the eastern tribe. I am on a mission here to rescue a family member of mine that was taken to the floating inu city. I assumed you were here for that same reason and decided to make contact." he said and turned to sesshomaru, " i am not interested in your human, though she really knows how to scratch a cat's ears."

" very well then. Youkio, you have made contact and are acknowledged. Though, what makes you think we are going to the floating city." Sesshomaru said making the cat demon scoff.

"I know your kind, white inu youkai. You don't belong here, your tribe is far into the west, matter of fact i have only ever seen one inu, like you that had a human, and only ever one beyond this point. What is your name inu youkai." he asked.

" I am sesshomaru warlord of the white inu tribe this is kagome, we are indeed traveling to the inu tribe you seek." he answered and the neko smiled presenting pointed needle like fangs and he did another flourishing bow.

" Then, Lord Sesshomaru there is something we have in common, and something that you may find useful and i am willing to partner with the two of you to infiltrate the floating city." he said and transformed again into a man sized version of the feline he had disguised himself as and then stilling completely he disappeared from in front of them and reappeared a few feet later. Turning back he gauged the reaction. Kagome was surprised and a little elated that he could disappear. Sesshomaru snorted and nodded once.

" are you asking to join our group cat?" he asked and youkio nodded and turned back into his humanoid form. " very well, then. But know this, there will be no infiltration. I sesshomaru am going there to confront the tribe leader and take back one of my own from his possession, there is no reason to sneak in. as you should know there is still ten days before the city will arrive at this location. Kagome and i were going to move down to the foothills and resupply at the village there to the south." sesshomaru said and youkio looked at the human and toad and nodded.

" that is fair enough. I was able to supply there too. There are a number of villagers there who are willing to feed a hungry demon cat." he said nodding.

Kagome laughed aloud. " you begged food?" she asked and he shook his head.

" easier than that. I turn on the purr and no one can resist me, they give me food, i never beg." he said cracking a small smile. Kagome laughed covering her mouth and going into a fit of giggles.

" cat, you have gone into the human village? How have you escaped." Sesshomaru asked.

Youkio winked at him. " don't you ever transform into your animal state just for the attention?" he asked and Sesshomaru scoffed.

" The only attention i would receive is the terrified screams of my victims." he remarked and youkio whipped his head around to look at kagome to see if he was being serious.

"He's not lying." she said raising her hands in surrender.

When the party of four began to reach the foot hills sesshomaru stopped for a moment and whistled into the distance calling Ah-Un back to him. Out of a cloud of fire ah un reached them landing with grace beside kagome and she mounted up securing herself in the saddle and kicked her heels in to follow the two demon males. Kagome smiled to herself. Watching the back of Sesshomaru and Youkio.

To her, it seemed like Sesshomaru was making friends with the cat demon, Youkio. The two men were opposite in every way and it astounded her, but the longer they traveled together the more things the two men had to talk about. She listened to tribe politics and wars from the past, then by the time they got to talking about their own training. Sesshomaru was absorbed in conversation like she had never been able to offer him. Putting her head against Ah-Un's right neck she began to drift to sleep. When she woke up again they were stopped. She was no longer on Ah Un and she was staring up at sesshomaru's face. When she began to stir he looked down and nodded when she woke and he set her down.

" We are here." Youkio said and transformed into his cat form. Kagome was still bleary eyed and stumbled reaching out and catching sesshomaru's arm to steady herself. She noticed that Ah-Un was tied up already and she wondered how long they'd been there waiting for her to wake up from her nap. Looking up at Sesshomaru she saw no hint of irritation and decided not to dwell on it.

" Is there anything that you want while i'm in the village?" she asked him rubbing the tiredness from her eyes and yawning.

"There is nothing i want from there." he answered and youkio snorted.

"Have you ever been into a human village?" he asked and Sesshomaru shook his head. " then we will find you something, there is everything in this village… do you like human food?" Youkio tried.

" I do not know. Probably not." he said not understanding why the cat demon was so adamant on it.

"Sesshomaru, if you would allow it i would gladly find something I think you will like from the village." Kagome smiled. Sesshomaru was caught staring at her. He realized as much within himself and glancing over to the neko he saw youkio turn and walk into the forest to give them some privacy.

"Kagome, do whatever you like, i will accept what you offer me." he said and Kagome smiled a little wider and nodded.

" okay then!" she chirped. " i'm going then." she said and turned to walk into the village.

"Meow." she heard and turned to see youkio transformed he padded over to her and rubbed against her legs. Kagome bent to scratch him out of habit and lifted him into her arms.

" you coming?" she asked, he purred loudly. " i guess we will be back soon…. Jakken do you want anything." she asked and jakken squawked at her to bring him some sweets. " okay." she called back and left her two companions behind.

Walking down the hill to the village she noted the huts and shops that she could see behind the bordering wall. She could see that there was a shrine within the walls too and nodded hoping that the villagers would be welcoming to a priestess and her cat.

She felt a familiar knotting in her insides as she passed the gates. Two guards from either side looked at her with curiosity and she nodded to them, hoping they wouldn't see the uneasiness she felt. Youkio jumped out of her arms and rubbed against her legs playing a convincing pet.

" Hold." a guard challenged her and stopped her as she tried to make a grab for him. She stopped and saw youkio duck behind her when he approached them, she sighed.

"Hello." she greeted him and met his scrutiny.

"What is a lone priestess doing on the mountain. I saw you come from the forest there. Tell me what business you had there and what you intend on doing in this village." he demanded getting in her face and making her take a step back.

"I am a wandering priestess, looking for spirits to be released and demons to fight. There is nowhere more interesting in the entire empire. As for my business here that is simple." Kagome brought her hands up in a show of innocence and he considered her carefully.

"The wolf tribe runs the mountain…. You are telling me that you have been fighting Kouga's wolves?" he demanded getting the attention of the guards on duty with him.

Kagome looked up at several guards that demanded her answer. " Yes, i have even encountered him." she said truthfully. The men gaped at her and she began to get nervous.

" Priestess you are alive…. Is Kouga defeated then?" the guard said with wonder.

She nodded and was grabbed by the head of the guard and dragged down the main street of the village. "My cat!" she said turning back to see youkio dodging the feet of the soldiers who were following and some who were going back to their post.

"Come on this is important." he said and grabbed her roughly to make her hurry. Kagome followed with indignation and began to prepare for some kind of confrontation. She was brought before the village leader and made to kneel when he looked at her. "This woman has defeated the demon Kouga. We are released from our pact with the wolf clan because of her." the guard said and the chief's eyes locked on her and he raised his brow when he considered her slight form.

"You are telling me this waif slayed Kouga?" he asked and looked at her with interest. " i would like proof of your power. Within the village walls there is a restless spirit that has claimed the life of several of my villagers. Slay it tonight and you will be rewarded for the defeat of both the spirit and the demon leader." the village leader said. She looked at the old man with scepticism. He was clothed in furs and held a staff that looked as though he used it in battle. He was well past his youth and she saw the doubt in his aged eyes that said he didn't believe she could exercise one spirit.

" Look," she said shaking the guard off of her and standing. He was surprised that she tried to move and fumbled when she threw him off balance standing up so close to him. " i'm not here to receive a reward. I need food and a few tools. That is all. If you need a spirit exorcised i may consider it, if i am well informed of the circumstances and only at my discretion. I am not your priestess and i will not be made to work for you." she said making the chief gape at her. She smirked and turned.

" Wait, you cannot refuse the leader of this village and expect to walk away like it's nothing." he said and Kagome sighed.

" I am not a member of this village…. I will take my money to the next village." she started and the chief raised his hand.

"That is enough, stand down captain. She is a visitor, and is not asking for a reward, she will be permitted to do commerce here. The offer stands. If you exorcise the spirit from our village you will be rewarded two fold." he looked at her with curiosity and she waved her hand not letting him distract her. She wandered through the village looking over her shoulder. She watched the guards take her. She was irritated with being manhandled and made sure to get some ink and scrolls for charms incase they got friendly again.

" And where is that cat." she said and heard an answering meow she was standing at a stand that sold fruit and she nearly squeezed the fruit in her hand to pulp." you scared me. Where were you!" she demanded and he only turned and sat down to watch her.

" Excuse me miss?" a villager said looking at her strangely. She glanced down at the at and kagome jumped and started to explain herself but the woman walked away with some apprehension.

Kagome walked through the marketplace in the village and bought the things she needed. She nearly emptied her money pouch and held and arm full of things that she thought they would use. Mainly spices for preserving and dried things for cooking. She found a shop that sold sweets and looked around. She thought about sesshomaru and scanned the contents of the stand. For jakken she chose a pouch of hard candies that she knew he would enjoy. Giving the shop owner her money she moved on. There was something else for Sesshomaru. She went into a place where she saw a merchant selling weapons. There were several beautiful daggers, but she looked past them to a trinket that was marked with a crescent moon. She smiled to herself and thought of his demon markings.

"Youkio, do you think he would like this?" she asked and the cat looked up at her boredly. " what do you think then, it would be helpful if you would say something." she said slamming the small trinket back to the table. The shop owner looked at her like she was mad and she cleared her throat.

Youkio nudged her over to the end of the table and jumped up to paw at a sharpening stone that was simple in all aspects and so inexpensive she almost laughed. He looked at her and flicked her with hi tail. She reached to grab him but the shop owner got to him first and Youkio ended up dancing around his meaty fist as he swung for him to get off the table.

" This establishment does not allow pets inside. Get your beast out." he barked at her.

" Can i purchase this sharpening stone." she said and began to bet her purse out again. Youkio hissed and swiped his claws at the man's feet and he began to kick at him.

" Get your cat out and you can have that cheap piece of mineral." he said and youkio shot out of the shop like he had fire on his fur. She picked up the stone and left with him staring after her angrily.

Walking back through the gate she was stopped again by the guard. "Wait priestess." one young man said running after her. Kagome slowed and turned to meet him. " We are in great need still. If you would consider staying until nightfall you will see for yourself what has happened here." he said and kagome took a step back.

" You don't know me. I may not be able to help you like you think." she said looking at him with some warning in her eyes. Just beyond the treeline she could feel Sesshomaru's eyes, through their bond she knew that he was waiting, getting impatient and she wasnt willing to subject the village to the wrath of that demon, should he choose that moment to backslide because of irritation.

" Just think about it. Please if you were strong enough to kill kouga then you would be able to free us from our curse." he said and gave her a favor with the symbol of the village. She took it and tucked it into her belt, turning she tread the path to the forest again and met her demon companion.

" what has happened?" sesshomaru asked. " Have you volunteered us for something else?" he demanded wanting to know. She shook her head.

"They offered a reward, but i said no! They even harassed me through the marketplace and stopped me on the way out." she said.

" Did they hurt you?" he asked getting serious. She shook her head and began to withdraw the things she got from the village, she skipped showing him the things she bought for food and began passing out the things she got for them. She tossed jakken the candy which he immediately began crunching and then handed sesshomaru the stone.

He turned it over and nodded. " Excellent for keeping my claws sharp. I approve." he said and tucked it into his belt and turned to scan the village again. She looked at youkio and he transformed into his humanoid form.

" Told you." he snorted and she raised her eyebrow.

"Why are you helping me." she asked and he gave her a less than innocent smile and nodded toward the other taiyoukai..

" I like you two, together. It reminds me of pursuing my own love. She was a real catch, way too good for me, but eventually i won her favor and also her father's, and we were mated. That saw over a hundred years ago… we mated young." he explained and kagome watched his eyes retreat into his memory and he was lost in his daydream.

" Sesshomaru and i aren't in love, we're just trying to find a way to live together." she snickered and he looked at her with shock.

" You mean…. You're not going through the mating ritual? How have you been approved to travel together then, surely his chief has control over this binding." youkio said a little louder.

" Your a fool cat," jakken came over crunching his sweets in his hard beak. Youkio glanced down at him and then zakken made a swing at his knee with his staff and he danced out of the way. " my lord, is not under any ones control… he tolerates the woman, but she is a nuisance. They travel together because of a binding curse and that all." he explained and sesshomaru growled.

" Jakken enough." he said and jakken bowed and retreated. Youkio looked between the demon and priestess again and began to wonder if the scent of attraction was a lie, but he shook his head and looked at the demon lord that looked as though he were bordering homicide. " kagome, it is late, we must set up your things now or do it in the dark." he said and she nodded and began to unroll her bedding and take the things out she bought to help her set up her fire and began to work.

" You're not going to help her?" youkio asked and sesshomaru turned eyes on him that made him cringe. " just wondering…. You're telling me that the toads right about you two?" he asked and sesshomaru glanced at youkio and thought about what he would answer with.

" i would say that kagome is correct, we are just trying to live." he said and walked to the place where kagome was spreading out her cloak and he went to the fire and began to take the job from the kappa. Youkio watched the group carefully, he thought about the day they'd spent together and then the way that he had seen the two interact. It was obvious to him that they both cared about the other,

" oops" kagome said as a small figure of a fox kit fell out of her bag. Youkio was intrigued by it and reached for the doll that wasn't quite as big as his hand. The demon doll was accurate, scary accurate and when he picked it up kagome watched him turn it around in his hand. " he's mine," she said and youkio looked at her laughing.

" Did you sew this? If so could you make me one of my oldest child?" he asked and kagome shook her head.

" I cannot make them, the one who does, does so with a high cost. I cannot replicate her magics." she answered and youkio looked at her with interest.

" You say a sorcerous?" he asked and sesshomaru shook his head.

" A kami, and that doll is...was alive." he said and kagome balked.

" He's alive. I can feel his energy." she said defensively.

" He may be alive but he's trapped that way….. I don't understand why you haven't freed him yet." Sesshomaru asked and Youkio shoved the doll into her hand and took a step back from her.

" You're serious?" he said with apprehension. Kagome nodded and withdrew the vial that violet had given her.

" If i free him then there will be one more demon with a bad attitude in this group. Do you want that Sesshomaru?" she asked and he considered this. He looked at jakken nuisance he thought, then glanced at youkio i tolerate him., he nodded and youkio transformed to watch from a distance as he drew the vial over the doll.

Dropping a few pea sized drops on the doll she was amazed when he began to grow and animate. " Whoa, where am I! Mother? Father? I kill them all!" the little boy shouted and began to summon power to his hands and reached into his vest to draw out a leaf which he held between his two fingers.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and grabbed the fox out of her hands and held him up to face him. Growling at him, the boy drained of color and stared wide eyed at the large amber eyes that held him in place. " You are now under the protection of me and my priestess, do not try to harm her or you will be returned to the state in which you were found." Sesshomaru said and the fox kit was dropped to the ground.

" Sesshomaru!" she said and scurried over to straighten his clothes as the fox began to dust off his things. Large green eyes turned on her with distrust and kagome stopped.

" What is your name fox boy?" she asked and he snorted.

" I am shippo of the fox tribe, if you will excuse me i have vengeance to attend to." he said and began to walk away when Sesshomaru's foot came down and stopped him from taking another step.

" You will stay with us, as we were instructed to either change your mind about the vengeance or return you to the state in which we found you." he said and Shippo looked up at him with hatred. Seeing the challenge obvious he began to growl.

" I would rather die." he said standing up against the larger demon and Kagome grabbed him and tucked him into an embrace and turned him away from Sesshomaru all together.

" You need to stop, he is just now able to control his temper, do not tempt him, he's come so far. Shippo, we have freed you, but our job is not done here, i have agreed to raise you along with my half demon son, but first we have to get home from here. There is still something that we need to do on this mountain though, and so i will need your cooperation. See here i have gotten some sweets from the village down the hill from here." she said and gave Shippo one of Jakkens hard candies. He squawked at her and made to swipe the bag back but sesshomaru growled and he suddenly let her give him one.

Shippo's eyes grew wide and he looked at the sweet smelling hard candy and then reached for it unsure if it was truly for him. He gasped. " wow! I've never gotten one of these before!" he said smiling and then he glanced at kagome's face and blushed. " you are really pretty miss." he said and Sesshomaru growled.

In the distance they heard a crash and kagome was startled back, shippo jumped down from the woman's arms and ran to the tree line to get a good look at what was happening.

" There's a monster in the village!" he laughed

 **AN: Thank you all for being patient waiting for these chapters. i have the next few planned to be uploaded at the end of this week and at the beginning of the next. I've noticed a few comments about how long the romance has taken to heat up, and i am here to assure you, this is a romance and there will be fluff and citrus and every thing that makes this the best pairing ever... when they actually establish a relationship together. it will happen, and its not that much further into the story, but i want to create something special for them that will last and be built on trust, tehy have so far to go still on the trust thing, i dont feel like i can rush it and still keep the integrity of their relationship. that being said, I can't wait to share with you all the things that lead up to the big rescue and then the suprise i have for you after! i really cant wait! Update again soon!**

 **-idreamofinuyokai, out**


	19. i dont hate you

Kagome could not believe what she saw when Shippo turned to her from the tree line holding his sides and laughing at the chaos. Kagome frowned and went to where the fox kit was and looked out to where the village was. From there she could see an ominous glow that surrounded the bordering wall.

Youkio went to her and gazed out at the village. "you know, I forgot about that thing. Let's get out of here, before we get caught up in their village problems.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I agree with the cat. Let's leave these pesky humans behind us." Jakken said and turned his back on the village.

Sesshomaru looked out at the village and saw how sick it made kagome to watch them suffer and do nothing to help. She didn't even look up at him when the fox kit Neko and kappa all looked at the village with contempt, though he saw her shoulders slump and read the want in her eyes.

"Kagome, do you want to help them?" Sesshomaru asked her making the demon males stop and regard him with curiosity.

Kagome looked at him with weariness "do you want to stay around here and wait for me?" she asked.

" I will wait." he said and looked at Jakken, who had his beak open in protest. "Jakken I don't want to hear one thing from you over this matter."

" it is as you wish my lord." Jakken bowed. Youkio yawned and jumped up into a tree to rest in the branches, he was smiling to himself looking between the demon lord and priestess.

" You're kidding me" Shippo snarled and he turned disgusted eyes on Sesshomaru.

Feeling the judgemental glare, Sesshomaru raised his hackles and growled with venomous intent toward the boy. Shippo swallowed his disgust and looked at the priestess who was looking at him with warning. Shippo thought about her warning from a few minutes ago and considered this as he looked up at a demon who looked as if he could flatten him with a stomp of his large boot. He backed down and Kagome let go of the breath she was holding.

"Shippo, i will give you one more warning concerning Sesshomaru's anger. He is working toward patience, but…." she started.

"I have none, kit. If you challenge me i will crush you. I am the alpha in this group, and the one charged to return you to the prison if you continue to display such unsavory behaviors." he growled and Jakken snickered at the kit from his place at the base of the tree. He folded his arms to watch the beating.

"Return me to-... do you need help, miss Kagome." he said bowing to her now with sweat droplets running down his face. Sesshomaru nodded.

"You don't have to…. Sesshomaru, we don't have to do this." Kagome said looking at the strange aura. She didn't know how the villagers would receive the demons that would interfere. She had refused the job knowing that the three demon men she traveled with would undoubtedly make the villagers nervous. She knew only too well how villages received demons in their midst. She recalled having to hide Inuyasha's ears and make sure no one looked too close, lest the twins get chased out of the village, and called traitors to the race of man. She never agreed that demons were all evil, no one in her opinion was all evil.

"Do you want to help them?" he reiterated that it was her choice. He noticed that she was uneasy and realized that he had never seen her work before, unless it was against him. "Is it that we are demons?" he asked voicing his thoughts on her hesitance. She snapped her eyes to him.

"I'm not embarrassed of any of you…. The village though won't see things like I do." she said and he nodded. Sesshomaru knew that humans were wary of demons. It made sense since they were stronger faster and gifted with powers that humans could not comprehend..

"I understand your position, Shippo you will remain with here. All of you are to remain here. I will accompany her to the village-" he said and she began to say something but she stopped. Kagome began to open the scroll and inks she had bought and began to prepare for an exorcism. She made a banishing spell too, incase it was a demon. When she was ready Kagome stood and looked once more out at the village and started towards it. She looked around for Sesshomaru and he was nowhere to be seen. She heard him clear his throat and looking forward he was already ahead of her down the path. She ran to catch up, but he disappeared again and reappeared beside the wall, she sighed and silently thanked him for staying out of sight of the guards, and she was sure that unless there was a spiritualist like her in the village, no one would be able to detect him.

The guard from her last encounter was standing on duty still and when he saw her he waves happy to see her. When he greeted her he made a grab for her arm to pull her towards the madness and she wrenched out of his grip " i can walk on my own." she said and he nodded a little taken being brushed off by her. He considered himself to be quite a catch and looked at her now as if she were trying to play hard to get.

He smiled trying to recover and made another attempt " I will show you where the incident is happening this evening." he said and she nodded and followed him.

They came to the village square and the blue light that had been surrounding the village square was coming from the single body of a village woman who was levitating in the center of the village. Immediately kagome felt the draining of the woman's life and she saw the steady drain on the woman's aura, but she could not tell where it was going. She chanted a spell for clear sight and she looked into the aura and watched the trail of energy that was being sapped from her.

Kagome knew that this was not what it seemed, based on the fact that the villagers were all standing around watching the woman, and that there were just a few people crying, the rest of the village watched with sombre acceptance which scared her more then anything else, _believers,_ she thought. Kagome searched for another source of power, the guard tried to make her stay in the village square but she shook him off again and told him she needed space to work. She noticed a few people look at her as though she were the cause of this but she ignored them and kept working.

"Lady priestess." she was greeted by the village chieftain and he bowed to her with respect and motioned for her to come closer. She approached him with hesitance and bowed a greeting. Her eyes still scanned for the source of the power drain and nearly walked past the chief in her pursuit. "I must say that this has never happened before, the village women are usually possessed and killed immediately. I expect the spirit is restless because you are here." he said and she looked at him questioning.

"How long has this spirit plagued you?" she asked and he looked up at the village woman trying to recall.

"Twenty years, since the general of Kouga's army slayed our shrine and killed our priests." he said and Kagome face palmed she groaned and began to get out her charms.

"Where did the priests live?... The old shrine that's inside the village?" she asked and he nodded. She rushed through the crowds of people and tried to get to the shrine. She cleared the crowd and burst onto the front steps of the shrine and began a chant to soothe and protect the shrine. The light began to waver but kagome felt something else through the humm of spiritual magic.

When her first chant was done the draining of human energy was almost stopped and the woman began to float back to the ground. A man came out of the crowd to catch her and she dropped into his grasp and he rushed away with her. Many people began to disperse back to their homes, a lot of them turned to watch the shrine, but either way Kagome was far from done with her work.

Opening the front door of the shrine Kagome was hit with the smell of decaying and rotting wood and tools. "This shrine was abandoned here in the middle of the city. No wonder you're being haunted. The shrine the priests died for is being ransacked by time here in the midst of their restless souls. The shrine will have to be restored, but i will aide you in exercising the malintent from this area." she said and clapped her hands together, Kagome withdrew a stylo and ink began to write kanji on the scroll she had. Chanting and bringing the energy of her magic to the scroll she went to the altar and laid it down. Before her eyes the scroll burnt up and the shrine began to quake.

Out of the center of it a conglomeration of priests and demon began to claw their way out of the depth of hell and Kagome was grabbed with a zap of light that began to syphon her power. She tried to fight it but found her power being sucked away and her body useless. She struggled, tried to scream but only managed to gurgle out noises " no- kik-..sess... Sesshomaru!" she screamed and felt his energy beside her at once. Sesshomaru withdrew his sword, feeling empowered by tokijin, he rushed the spirit, driving through it and impaling it with his sword. Within a second the energy was gone and the creature with it. Kagome dropped to her knees from the drain of power and Sesshomaru went to her.

"Woman… you are reckless," he chastised her and lifted her into his arms at once. He felt his heart pounding against his chest. He had heard her call and been unable to do anything but rush to her and make sure she wasn't too seriously injured.

"Thank you." she said with a smile. "I mean for coming to help me…. You don't think Violet will be angry do you?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I told her it was at my discretion." he answered and they turned.

Eyes stared at Sesshomaru and the village leader came forward. " You dare bring a demon into our village, you were supposed to drive away the spirit." he said with venom in his voice. Sesshomaru growled at the challenge but Kagome put her hand on his chest and silently asked him not to kill everyone.

"The spirits of your priests are gone from here. You should have peace now." she started but the villagers began to shout their hatred of demons at her and she was quieted by the amount of hatred they showed her.

"Get out of our village!" a man shouted and threw something at her. Sesshomaru caught it out of the air and another man stepped forward. Kagome gasped.

"I know her…. That's kikyou the daughter of renkotsu the betrayer. She's a traitor's child and a traitor herself. Look how she hold on to that demon like she trusts him! Let's kill them both and stake them up as an example!" he said and Kagome began to feel the familiar dread that they were going to be chased out of another village.

"My father was not a traitor… he had mercy on one man who was starving… there is no shame in that." she tried to justify herself. She knew it was no good, that they would not listen but she felt after so long she had to. To her this splash of reminder was like losing her father again, like watching him travel until his body wore out from under him, all because of the hatred villagers had for his mercy.

Sesshomaru was a moment away from slaughtering everyone. He began to hate humans and would have begun his onslaught if it hadnt been for Kagome's hand that rested on his sternum and still begged him not to do what she knew he was on the edge of.

"Lets leave this village behind us." she said and he nodded. Sesshomaru stepped forward with her in tow and he cleared a pathway with the hardness of his glare. Villagers looked on at them with hatred and he felt the sting of remembrance, and now understanding that Kagome did survive something that was actually comparable to his pain. He looked back at her and saw no sign that the people had been affecting her. He scented her for the distress of fear and found her to be unwavering. He nodded and when they reached the gate the young guard was there watching. Sesshomaru locked eyes with him and for a moment Sesshomaru considered stopping to kill this one man that reeked of jealousy, but he decided not to. Kagome did not look at him as they walked down the path and to the treeline.

" I should not have gone." she said and sighed.

" I did not know." he said and kagome shook her head.

"We will have to leave, though. The way they were staring at us i wouldn't be surprised if they sent a party after us to capture." she said and looked back at the village with hesitance. She was saddened by the village, but she was also not going to be killed by their own folly. She knew the shrine was restless because of the neglect from the village, if they did not restore it they spirits would return…. Though she wasn't sure if Violet's prison held spirits or not.

Shippo snorted and earned the very different looks from both kagome and Sesshomaru, Kagome took a breath and knelt down next to where Shippo turned quickly and sat with his back to her, she reached out to touch his shoulder and he turned tear filled eyes on her. "Shippo, why are you so angry?" she asked and he wiped away the tears quickly so she didn't see them.

"I can't stand it. Humans hate us for nothing. It's just like when my parents were killed… I hate humans." he cried and she nodded.

"I can understand why, people hurt others when they don't understand how someone else lives, it's okay to be angry with them." she held out her arms to him and he turned into her embrace, and she stood with him. " Youkio, would you help me get my things?" she turned to find him already working. He smiled at her with admiration and she felt her cheeks burn.

Kagome mounted Ah-Un and held on to Shippo tightly as the demons around her began to move on. Kagome yawned and heard Shippo echo her feeling him lean against her with the intent to go to sleep. She brought her hand up to feather through his short red hair and was reminded of Inuyasha.

The time taken to travel was filled with mixed emotions as she felt his breathing slow and then he was finally asleep and holding on to her with everything he had. She heard him crying in his sleep and brought her arms around him to comfort him. She was washed in the feel of remembering the nights with inuyasha in her arms.

"mother?" he grumbled sleepily and turned his face to find a more comfortable position. Kagome smiled.

Youkio listened to the interaction between the two and glanced at the stoic warlord who kept pace just ahead of him. The toad was grasping his tail holding on for his life's sake. He had noticed the self reflection and when they sighted a system of foot hills, they made camp underneath an overhang that jutted out and was balanced precariously between two leaning boulders forming a cave. The space was tight, there was room enough to file in and allow Kagome room enough to lay down with some room between her and the demon men who sat close to her. Kagome lead Ah-Un to the mouth of the cavern and tied him to a sapling that only served to remind him not to wander. He snorted and breathed hot air onto her face before turning to graze. She carried shippo into the darkness and felt around for the walls. Finding a space adequate for laying down, she set Shippo down and began to undo her packs and make a bed for herself. Shippo watched her with curious eyes and when she layed down he stood over her looking at her. Kagome smiled and gestured for him to get in.

Shippo laid down next to her and sighed when she put her arm around him and pulled him close. She was sleeping almost immediately, and he was left with his thoughts. He was confused and angry still. The last thing he remembered was cursing out his rage to the beast under the mountain. He had heard of a Kami that had great power living there. He had gone to force them to raise his parents from the dead, unsuccessfully. He looked up at the demon who had freed him with some hesitance. The natural instincts of his kind told him to be wary of such a powerful creature.

Sesshomaru felt the eyes of the fox kit and met them unflinchingly. He felt an obligation to Kagome, which made him reconsider smashing the child's face for daring him. He saw the fear in the boy's eyes and took a breath and calmed the killer instinct. He saw the physical reaction in the demons around him. Youkio even was watching him carefully. Only Jakken was unfazed almost daring the child another affront, wanting to see his master show his power.

 _I can't do this,_ he told himself. When he decided to let go of the irritation, he remembered being young and wanting so badly to just look at his father without being punished for it. Meeting the child's eyes once more he reached for him with his aura and exuded a scent to calm his fear. The boy started, not sure weather he was being tested but Sesshomaru turned from him and told him to go to sleep.

"I don't trust you…. How do I now you won't kill me?" Shippo challenged, though he now felt no threat from the elder demon. The scent had reminded him of his father. It stirred memories and made him recluse from the warmth of the demons acceptance of him.

Sesshomaru was a little taken aback by the boys retort. He saw the distrust as apperant and looking at him half crushed beneath Kagome's sleeping form, he looked ridiculous. " I would be more concerned with suffocating." he turned and met Youkio's curious eyes.

Youkio watched the fox kit go to sleep and when his breathing was regular he got the attention of the demon warlord who sat across from him. "I didn't take you for the type to pick up strays." he said and Sesshomaru shook his head.

"It is Kagome. She can't help herself but to take them in." he corrected. Youkio smiled.

"Does she take them in often?" he said casually. Sesshomaru felt the double interest in the cats questions and began to examine him.

"Yes, are you looking for an owner" he said causing the cat to snort.

"I don't even have enough room for my own family…. No my mate would not like that at all. I was mearly suggesting that you two are together." Youkio chuckled and saw the unamused look.

" I am not a stray. I had a purpose in seeking her out…. She has something of mine. Her curse, and a bargain I made with her makes it so that it remains in her possession until an appointed day." Sesshomaru said making Youkio's interest double two fold.

"What does she have?" he asked getting close and acting as though they were conspiring together. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at the theatrics and remained silent. "Oh come on you don't have to toy with me. She is a beautiful woman. There is no shame in pursuing her…. If I had met her one hundred years ago I would have nine half demon children."

Sesshomaru put his hand up to stop him. "Enough." he said and turned. " I will rest. Look after the woman... She tends to wander off." he said and closed his eyes.

When Kagome woke she was barely able to breath through the fox kits death grip. He was mumbling and struggling. She brought her hands up to calm him and he started to wake up. He yawned and she saw his sharp fangs up close. "Shippo you were dreaming." she said and he looked quizzicle

" Was I?" he asked and looked around. The demon lord was sleeping , sitting up and leaning against the side of the make shift cave wall. He sighed relieved.

Kagome sat up and nodded to Youkio, he smiled back and transformed to his animal form and trotted out of the cave with them when she went out. Kagome found a stream and made Youkio stand guard while she and Shippo bathed. He was not shy and jumped into the water while she eased in. Scrubbing the dirt and grime from her skin she made sure to clean he hair before taking time to relax in the water.

"Why are you being so nice to me." he asked her while he was splashing around.

"I like you." she said simply.

"But I hate humans" he said turning she shrugged.

"Do you hate me?" she asked thinking of how he grasped her tightly in his sleep.

"Well...No" he said and she smiled.

Walking back to the camp site Kagome and Shippo held hands and sang as they ventured into the demons stronghold. Kagome saw that Sesshomaru was sleeping and quieted so not to disturb him. Kagome went to her packs and withdrew a ribbon to keep her hair out if her face.

Shippo was playing. Feeling revived from the cool swim and went to Kagome to get her attention again. She laughed at his antics.

Like the last time Sesshomaru went to sleep, he regenerated for a full day and when he woke, it was to Kagome looking down at him. She was crouched over him with her hand on his chest. He thought he was still dreaming and grasped her arm startled from the dreams contrast from reality.

Kagome hadn't meant to startle him but he had begun to toss and she wanted to soothe the raging aura that had driven the demons out of the cave. Even Shippo was trembling with fear, refusing to come in though it had been raining.

Sesshomaru's eyes were still dazed, he was not fully awake yet, and smelling the spike of fear he growled and yanked her to his chest and breathed in the scent that appealed to his deeper instincts. Groaning he inhaled one more time when he audibly heard her gasp and felt her pulse race through the physical contact of her hand on his chest, the scent had changed quickly from fear to something more. Kagome swallowed down the confused haze and cleared her throat..

" Sesshomaru….what are you doing?" she asked feeling her face turn bright pink and nearly crawling out of her skin with the warmth that lit through her. She was trapped against him, waiting for him to fully wake up enough to let her go.

The sound of her voice stirred him. He released her slowly and sat up. " I don't know…. I was dreaming." he reasoned. He brought his hand to his head and ran his claws through his thick silver hair. The gesture calmed him some but he could hear the thumping of her heart and was reminded of the scent he had drawn in.

Kagome was embarrassed by her reaction to him. The response was purely biological for the situation she was in, but she could not help but wonder if it was something more. Looking at him she felt his eyes on her. He scented her and she jerked back remembering that he could scent her arousal and felt mortified at being caught feeling bothered by his closeness.

Sesshomaru misinterpreted the embarrassment for rejection and was startled by the flash of hot anger when she pulled away from him. He felt the closeness between them The growing trust and the affection she was beginning to show to him and it only added to the sexual frustration he was beginning to feel daily. Seeing her physically remove herself from his grasp made him angry beyond words. He wanted to grab her and make her come back to him. But seeing the genuine discomfort on her face he stopped his anger in its tracks, taking a breath.

' I'm still tired… Has it been a full day already." he asked calming himself down. He looked at her and she was barely acknowledging him. She jumped when he spoke again and acted a little skittish while answering.

"Well… No. But you were dreaming about something scary, because all three of the boys are scared to death to come in here. I only wanted to calm you down. I didn't mean to wake you completely." she explained trying to keep her eyes from wandering. She thought of the strength he used to pull her to him and was both astounded and petrified. The strength had not been used with the intention to hurt her but she recalled how easy it had been for him to break her bones and had to remind herself if the changes he's made. She took a breath and read the frustration in his expression.

"I don't remember the dream. Did I hurt you?"he asked feeling the worry that now tainted the arousal in her scent. He cursed himself and knew that she had seen how angry he had let himself get. _She must have felt how angry I was. I will never redeem myself in her eyes if I can't control my anger._ He reminded himself and watched her for the fear that he was sure she was going to turn on him.

She shook her head and blushed deeply once more. "hurt?… No I'm fine. Your fine too…. I mean, i'm not mad or anything….. oh where did that …. Thing.. get off to…. You know I'm just going to let you sleep some more if you like." she babbled and he nearly had whiplash for on the flip flops from arousal to embarrassment and back. He watched her stand and he could only sit there until his brain registered that she was actually running away from him.

 _Like prey,_ he thought and snorted. She stopped. " something funny?" she asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes" he replied and stood from his sitting position. Damn it he was still tired but he was no longer in the frame of mind to sleep again.

Exiting the cave after her Sesshomaru was hit with the breeze and rain of a late summer storm. He looked at an amused toad and two unamused demon cat and fox. The two demons filed into the cave around him and he looked for Kagome. She had disappeared into the treeline and he sented for her. He felt her just inside the forest and was tempted to go to her. He remembered the way she had shied away from him and thought that it was probably a good thing to get some space. He sighed and looked into the midst of the rain for a few moments longer before turning and re-entering the cave.

Kagome returned shortly. She was soaked and he frowned. Youkio had been talking to him and he couldn't focus on the cat's words. He was angry again, he knew it by the way he clenched his fists and felt his jaw tighten every time he heard her walking around and refusing to return to the cave… because of him.

Her eyes found him and met his stare with a small smile and then looked away quickly. He felt the fakeness of it like a whip and he felt the poison well up in his claws to the breaking point. In mid conversation Sesshomaru stood and turned away from Youkio.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked curiously.

"I will be back." he said and kagome stood.

" I'll go too" she said and he turned on her with little patience. He eyed her and thought about the things he wanted to tell her. He nodded toward the door and she hurriedly went out into the watched her back, felt for the uneasiness and found her to be recovered from the incident. He cursed and wished he could restrain the beating of his heart. He wanted to speak but found himself unable to express the irritation he was experiencing. An inu female would understand without words, she would submit to his dominant aura and allow him the comfort he desired. Kagome was not an inu female, she was blind to the signals he gave her that made his want of her obvious, when he put off the scent to draw her in she looked at him dumbly and sought the attentions of others. He wanted her attention. He wanted more then her attention he wanted her loyalty and respect and he knew that what he had now, was her tolerance and charity.

Kagome was thinking about the ways they've both had to change in the past few weeks. It had been tiring to say the least and she was thinking about going home. It wouldn't be very much longer until Sesshomaru could find out what became of his mother and take her back to their home. She hoped the woman was okay, hoped for Sesshomaru's sake that she was still alive but prepared herself to help him recover from her loss. She realized while walking, that she had begun to think of him as part of her family too. That he was going to be there, bound to her only through a curse, but watching and interacting with her, Kikyou and Inuyasha. She hoped with every fiber of her being that one day he could look at Inuyasha as his brother rather than a means for vengeance. She turned to him with that thought and was surprised to find him looking at her with something she had never seen in his eyes before.

"Kagome-" he started, she felt her breath catch and she stepped forward to hear what he had to say. She could feel the need he had to express himself and she held her breath suddenly feeling knots in her stomach and wanting so desperately to run and stay, all at the same time.

"There! Over here. She's with the demon!" the moment was short lived. Kagome saw the man who had found them through the trees and saw him stand to signal into the forest. She gasped as an arrow whizzed through the air,missing her head as Sesshomaru pulled her back out of the way. She turned back to look at Sesshomaru and felt her heart stop mid beat.

His eyes were blood red, lip raised in a snarl and his fists clenched. She had seen this too many times before a rampage. Knowing his heart was tainted at the moment he gave the sword no chance to overtake him and unstrapped it from his side and stepped over it when it fell to the ground. " What are you going to do." he heard Kagome ask him through the pulsing in his head. He turned and gave her a sure look.

" Nothing good." he replied and walked past her into the forest.

Shaking her head, Kagome felt sick from the thought of all of those people dead or maimed, she ran after him. " You can't, please don't do this Sesshomaru."

 **AN: i loved this chapter. cant wait to upload the next one, keep an eye out for it, it should be up in the next day or so!**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai out**


	20. your hurting because of me!

Seeing the arrow pass Kagome's head, Sesshomaru realized with alarm that her life could be stolen by one of these crude weapons. Just the thought of Kagome's life being taken from him sent fear through him like he had never experienced before, and rage consumed him, he began to see red when the the archers in the forest aimed at kagome again and he stepped in front of her, deflecting the nearly all of the crude weapons and hearing her cry out from an arrow that grazed her.

They fled further into the forest when they realized that their arrows were ineffective against him. He turned to Kagome to see her chanting and healing a gash on the side of her arm. He shook his head and clenched his teeth feeling the affront as a personal attack. His pride could not let them get away after making such a public attack, he could not let the injury of his priestess go by without action.

"They will not get away with this." he said and Kagome tried to grab his arm. He took her hand with his and she stared at the man that she was beginning to care about and begged him not to go after them. The wind picked up and the rain began to pour down on them and she could see the dark clouds bringing an early night though the sun was still setting.

"Please don't do this… i'm okay. We can leave this all behind us." she tried and saw that the anger had clouded his mind and he was not hearing her. He looked after the humans and then back at her. " please don't." she tried again and he shook his head. And dropped the weapon from his side that bound him to deliver them living to the dungeon, they will not live through this, he told himself, leaving Kagome looking after him with tears in her eyes.

Kagome ran, trying desperately to keep up with him and was unable to. She felt his anger like a consuming fire. She called to him, but the more she did, the faster he was until she lost sight of him completely.

Kagome was lost, she had been hopeful, wanting to work things out with him and now she feared that he was going to slaughter the people that she had nearly died to save. She had known before going to that village, that they would be unreceptive to the demons, she had dealt with this plenty of times before, they moved on and didn't deal with the village again after helping the best that they could. The memories of his rampage frightened her, she had to get to him, to stop him from backsliding and losing everything that he had worked for.

Sesshomaru was in the middle of the human mob within moments of accelerating out of Kagome's sight. He scented the one who had fired the arrow that had hurt her and took pleasure in choking the life out of him. "You should have left us alone. Now you will pay for trying to take from me." he growled. The man struggled in vain. Sesshomaru felt the human villagers attacking him with crude weapons and arrows from behind, he scoffed and with a swipe of his claws struck down ten men around him.

Adrenaline and hatred mixed and he felt the familiar fire that drove him. Villagers surrounded him with torches and he dared them with his eyes lowering into a stance that meant death for anyone in reach. At once Kagome broke through the tree line and looked around horrified at the ten men that were already dead at his feet and the river of blood that washed away with the rain.

" you have to stop. Please." she begged him. As she spoke an arrow shot through the air at her and she deflected it with a barrier.

As the arrow was loosed Sesshomaru appeared behind the archer, he was enraged, more so than he had ever been before. Each of the humans sought to hurt Kagome, he smelled the hatred like a cover over the mob. Instinct told him to kill them for harming her, instinct drove him to protect what was his and each time one of these humans crossed that line he was filled with murderous contempt.

Kagome was desperate to get to him. She felt his hatred. Felt the weeks of change going to the wayside and it broke her heart. She saw him rip the villagers apart and even when they began to flee he sought to kill them.

"Demon….Curse you and your whore to the depths of hell." a villager said as he charged Sesshomaru with a crude spear. Kagome could not close her eyes to the carnage that followed.

He's going to kill them all, she thought and made the decision to stop him herself. She began to chant. Kagome raised a barrier around herself and went to him.

Sesshomaru felt the approach of the priestess and fought the want to go to her. He felt her trying to restrain him and felt betrayal like hot lightning through his veins. He took the villager in his hands and threw him into the tree closest to him and began to grab another that dared flea his rage.

"Sesshomaru, please stop." she cried out.

" No!" He growled, and he roared angrily at her. He was panting heavily still feeling hyper aware from the adrenaline pumping through him. He felt her spirit Magic wrapping around d him and he fought her, tried to overpower her hold on him with pure strength of will, but she only met his resolve with her own iron will and they stayed locked in a battle of wills until the villagers were all a safe distance away.

When she dropped the hold on him kagome nearly collapsed. He was panting, enraged now at her blatant disregard for his protection. He had done that for her safety and she dared protect them from him? He was beside himself.

"why did you stop me!" he yelled. He was still ready to take on an army, his rage now directed at her he felt the binding curse begin to sting. She looked at him with disappointed eyes and shook her head.

"you were going to kill them all after we just freed their village from their curse" she said and began to try to find survivors. He shook his head as she visited each of his victims and when she found none alive she sat and the scent of her tears made him pause.

"they were trying to hurt you. I was protecting you." he said angrily. She looked at him shaking her head.

" I never want you to kill people, even if i die, i don't want you to kill!" she said with her tears streaming down her face. She was actually angry with him. He felt the bitter sting of her anger on him and was at a loss. "you were doing good. Why go back because of these people." she shouted standing up and confronting him.

"they were going to pursue us, I am not going to run from such weak creatures. Now they will remember this day and even their children will recall the wrath of crossing me" he used the logic he had been taught. It was effective, useful for keeping people away from him, but kagome didn't want to hear it.

" Listen to yourself. You are wrong! I'm not asking you to run from them. I just don't want you to kill everyone that makes you angry. You knew you were wrong and still did this." she said and he stopped the growl before it escaped. He was enraged now beyond even the sting of betrayal from her restraint, he was angry with her disappointment, for wanting so badly to prove himself and still could not stop himself from making her want to throw her hands up in frustration over him. .

Brooding he looked down at a familiar scene of bodies lying sprawled and broken. He recalled the rage, he had acted as if he were still the commander of an army of inu, like he was expected to act as the son of the greatest general. Creatures large and small backed away from his stare or suffered the wrath of his retribution. These creatures had angered him, threatened someone that he was protecting and he had reverted as if the last year of his life hadn't happened.

He looked at kagome, she was fuming. Demanding that he repent for the carnage he created. sesshomaru sented the approach of the neko and the fox kit and knew that kagome would be even more enraged if the child saw everything. Kagome turned from him and began to pray over the dead. He growled and watched her angrily keep her back to him as she prayed.

"woman, what do you want." he asked desiring to pacify her anger now. She shot him a look over her shoulder that nearly made him growl.

"you could start digging." she said bitterly.

"you're kidding-" he started but she gave him a look that said she was not.

Sesshomaru bitterly began to dig. There were forty men dead and each one was a reminder of how far he'd come, and how far he'd fallen again. They were halfway done with burying the men when the rest of the group united with them. Youkio was riding on Ah-Un, his fur was a little singed and Sesshomaru knew he'd had to tame the dragon in his absence enough to ride him this far. Shippo dismounted and looked around at the battle scene that was still displayed with wide eyes.

"cool, lord Sesshomaru. You destroyed them!" Shippo said excitedly.

Sesshomaru felt the ire of the priestess with another angry look. Youkio looked at the scene with different eyes. He didn't have the sense of smell that the inu has but he heard the shouting and saw clearly how angry that Kagome was. " Shippo, not now. Open your eyes" he said with the authority of a man with children of his own. The kit looked at him and sulked.

" they are just humans… I don't see what the big deal is. They deserved what they got, my father would have done the same thing." Shippo said vehemently.

Kagome turned to Sesshomaru. He looked between her and the child and groaned inwardly. Shippo looked at him with admiration, validated now in his hatred.

" Sesshomaru" he heard a thunderous voice and felt a prickling sensation, before he could move into action Kagome screamed and jumped backward as a portal opened up beside her.

" this is your last chance. Sesshomaru!" Violet stepped out of the portal with Niesha behind her. The winged demon male glared at Sesshomaru and Violet pointed at him and stilled the passage of time making the four demon men stop in wonder and look around at the immense power she had. Shippo hid behind Youkio and jakken clung to Ah-Un. Sesshomaru was pinned in place by her anger and felt his insides squirm from the healthy fear that lit through him at the kamis power "How dare you try and escape my wrath! If you ever so much as drop this sword from your hand I will find you! You are the agent of my will. I should take you back to the dungeon to remind you of your promise to me." Violet said to him and snapped her fingers drawing the sword to her hand and then thrusting it into Sesshomaru's hand magically.

"I will not be consumed by this weapon." he did and regretted it. Violet yelled out her frustration in a shout that had him covering his ears.

" I tell you this once more! You are the agent of my will, you are never allowed to part with the sword, ever…. If you had decided to judge the villagers for their actions i would not be here but the moment you thrust away my gift and power in favor of your own justice you spat in the face of me and every warlord that has ever wielded this weapon…. For this i curse you…. Kagome" she called and summoned her.

Kagome was brought before her and Niesha drew his weapon to her throat. Sesshomaru held his breath feeling the real danger that she was in. She smelled of terror and confusion and everything in him wanted to destroy whatever would cause her to fear so much. He stepped forward and Violet snapped her fingers stopping him with her power. Neisha drew the blade across her skin and drew blood that ran down her chest and stained her white robe red. Kagome groaned from the pain and he fought to free himself from violet's power.

" you don't get to interfere, demon. You've done enough already." Violet said and turned her back on him. " you are now responsible for everything that this demon does. For the crime of murder on forty accounts I charge you with his curse. Your life is now connected to his, this will ensure that you suffer three fold for his tresspasses, no matter where your lives take you, and If he ever abandons the weapon again then your life is forfeited. Do you hear this demon. If you loose your temper and take judgement into your own hands again kagome will suffer. If you abandoned my weapon again, She dies." Violet looked at him.

" why are you doing this" Sesshomaru demanded feeling helpless. Kagome was trembling, her life now depended on his ability to keep under control and he was nearly lost with the rage that battered at his willpower at that moment. He had only days ago reigned his temper with her trials. He cursed himself for his stupidity. He had incurred the wrath of a half kami and now kagome was cursed with the effects of his rage. Even now he felt the tides of fate changing and looking at kagome now he felt her dread and was ashamed of himself.

Violet smiled when she saw the understanding in his face. She knew he had been acting out of defense of kagome, she had seen the attack and knew the village. He could have sent each one of the humans to her dungeon, but he chose to leave her out of it all together and she could not have that, what good is a dungeon when the prisoners are all executed outside. " Sesshomaru, i give you this warning, because there is still hope for you, but, do not disappoint me again or i will take you back with me, and it will not be to become my consort" she snorted.

" how will i live if i cannot defend myself." he demanded and she shook her head.

" judge their hearts. As i have judged yours. If they are worthy let them live, if they are not send them to me, but never again destroy human or demon life of your own accord." she said and she dipped her finger into the blood that flowed down Kagome's neck. She drew a mark on her neck with the blood and the mark burned a scar into her that looked like his demon mark. Kagome gasped and brought her hand to the mark.

" ah it burns!" she said and dropped to her knees."

" it will, forty men died today, forty hours of pain will be your punishment." she said and shippo gaped as kagome began to pant and sweat from the pain she was in. Youkio was being careful not to draw the attention of the half kami and stopped Shippo from running to the woman when she began to cry out her agony.

Sesshomaru felt the guilt of every second of her agony. Violet looked at him and conveyed a warning to him that could not be expressed aloud. It told of her determination for him to prove himself once more to her, that he would only be given one other warning, and that even he could not stop the wrath of the kami and the execution of their will. He swallowed the rage that made him want to defy her and when he was calmed enough, she released him from her power. He rushed to Kagome and she collapsed against him when he reached her. She was panting, too hot and cold at once and he tried to release a calming scent to soothe her.

" I didn't want to hurt you" he said to her. Kagome tried to breath slowly through the pain and his shame was magnified threefold.

"I know…..I forgive you." she said trembling. She closed her eyes through another wave of pain and he cursed. He looked to the half kami vowing to repay her for this. Knowing that he now held the quality of her life in his hands he looked down at her and felt the weight of their new curse. Through the binding spell he could feel the tremors of the pain she was experiencing and looked for a way to ease her pain. Sesshomaru lifted kagome into his arms and began to walk back to the camp, it was raining still, the kami had stopped the rain around them for a time but as she began to turn to her portal once more she released the tides of time and it began to pour once more.

Violet turned her eyes on the other members of the party, the cat demon shrunk back and she smiled at him. "Youkio…. So good to see you traveling with my judge. See that your relative is warned, I don't want to see him again." she said and Youkio gasped and jumped back.

" will do." he answered and jakken and shippo looked at the cat demon with both curiosity and apprehension. He sighed his relief when the half kami went back through the portal behind her winged demon guard.

" what was that about?" Shippo asked.

" long story" he answered and jakken glowered at him.

When Sesshomaru reached the cave again he removed the soaked outer clothes and tried to make her as comfortable as possible while he got her bedding ready. It was after dark now and though he could see perfectly kagome was beginning to get worse and he was starting to lose patience with himself. He cursed aloud when he could not get her things undone properly and when his claws began to rip holes in her extra garments he nearly shredded everything in his irritation, but he held his temper and tried to calm down. She whimpered softly trying to keep her pain to herself but it only served to remind him that it was his fault "damn this curse, what am i supposed to do?" he asked trying to figure out what he could do to make her more comfortable.

" Sesshomaru, " she said to him and he went to her and she tried to speak through another wave of pain. " i need to drink…. I'm so thirsty." she said and he retrieved her water skin and tried to help her drink.

" i never wanted you to be hurt you." he said meaning it. Kagome saw a flash of emotion in his eyes that made her take notice again. Smiling softly she reached for his hand and grasped it in hers.

" i know you didn't, you did what you thought was right by me….. Sesshomaru i forgive you-" she said again and he shook his head.

" how can you? Because of my actions you now have to suffer for each of my transgressions-" he said more angry at himself than anything.

" i understand what this means,we are linked forever now beyond this cursed binding, i don't want you to kill, i will be honest about that, and i don't think you want to kill me anymore, i feel like we've been becoming friends" she said and he looked at her perplexed and feeling both shame and self loathing and at the mention of them becoming friends, he wrinkled his brows.

" i do not know, i've never had a friend before. What does that even mean?" he said and kagome felt another wave of pain that took her breath and made her clench her fists and jaw as the pain intensified. He felt helpless, trying to ask her what she needed when she could barely answer him. He looked around and the rest of the group was still so far away.

Kagome cried out her pain and he couldn't stand it any more. Sesshomaru lifted her into his arms and felt the closeness like an electric shock through his entire system and he began to experience the pulsing agony she was feeling, he noticed her beginning to breathe more regularly and knew that he was sharing in her pain. " if i can assist you through this, kagome i will." he said but kagome was unconscious to the waking world and sesshomaru went to sit against the wall of the cave.

Forty hours, he thought and pulled her closer to his chest.

Youkio scanned the massacre and then at the grave sites that kagome had begun to fashion. He looked at the fox kit that was on the edge of tears and the toad that sulked on the outskirts of the clearing. The only creature not to be bothered by the scene that just took place was the two headed dragon mount that took this time to graze more.

Youkio sighed. " shippo, come help me." he said and the fox kit looked at him as though he had slapped him.

" you want me to bury these humans?" he asked disgusted. Youkio growled low and transformed into his greater cat form. He began to dig and growled at shippo to get over there. Shippo walked as slow as he could and went to one of the bodies. " i don't know why." he said and youkio turned fire laden yellow eyes on him.

"It is the wish of your guardians, did you not witness the kami that has asked for you, she will take you back to the other realm if you continue as you are." you communicated with him using guttural noises and hissing sounds that spoke to the boys beast nature.

" i saw her!" he said defensively.

"Then do not argue or i will report to the warlord that you have refused the woman's wishes and need to be returned to the state in which you were found." the cat demon threatened. Shippo gulped and looked at him wondering if her was lying or not. Youkio met his stare without remorse and shippo began to grumble but he began arranging the dead close to the holes and cursing humanity the entire time.

Jakken watched with half loathing and half betrayal. He was enraged that the kami would inhibit his master's power, in his mind the humans deserved what they got and his master was in the right. Watching the cat and fox take mercy on the dead humans made him sick. He turned his back on it and refused to help.

Within an hour they finished burying the last of the humans and Youkio vowed that day never to piss sesshomaru off. That means i will have to keep my brother under control when i find him. He cursed. Youkio went to the boy and saw him covered with grime and dirt. He snorted at the sight and grabbed the back of his vest to lift him onto ah un. The two headed dragon looked back at him with challenge but the neko youkai wasn't going to back down this time either. The right head was a fire breather and he made sure to lock eyes with it as he mounted.

" jakken." he called and the toad looked up at him angrily.

" i will come." he said as though he'd been asked. Youkio rolled his eyes and grabbed jakken by the back of his shirt and lifted him on the back. He squawked and made youkio dropped him with a rap to the knee with his staff. " i will go on my terms. Cat. i will not be manhandled like this child. I was a king." he said with the pride of his race. Youkio doubted it and kicked his heels into the dragon's sides signalling him to move.

" hurry then jakken." he yawned and set a pace to reach the cave quickly.

When they returned Youkio tied up the dragon and made shippo go to the stream and wash off before he came inside.

" it raining, the dirt will wash off." Shippo protested.

" go now, or i will make you." he said and shippo stuck his tongue out at youkio and refused to move.

" fine." the neko said and he was grabbed again by the vest and put under Youkio's arm. " I could use a bath myself." he said and walked to the stream. Shippo struggled the entire way, fighting and cursing him.

" i will wait for mother!" he said and youkio stopped as he held the boy over the water.

" there will be no time to wait for the woman, you are filthy now." he reasoned and watched Shippo began to cry. He covered his face and youkai raised one eyebrow surprised that the fox kit cared so much. " i did not realize you were so fond of the priestess." he said and shippo turned his face from him.

" leave me alone." he said and Youkio dropped him into the water. He watched the boy struggle for a moment but did not wait too long before he undressed and got in himself. Shippo eyes him warily and youkio paid him little attention while cleaning himself. After a few minutes of sitting in the cool stream shippo grudgingly began to wash the mud from his face and hair. The river ran muddy for moments after his final scrub and when he was dont he looked up to see Youkio already dressed and waiting on him.

Shippo stood out of the water and walked to the bank slowly. He didn't want to see kagome in pain again. It broke his heart and he knew that stoic warlord was just making her suffer. He recalled the way he had gone to her, but it was clear to him that the demon was not her mate and did not even realize what it meant to be family. He sniffed and made Youkio wait for him as he washed his clothes off and layed them out.

" come back to the cave. I will build a fire so our clothes will dry there. He said and shippo grabbed his hakama and haori off of the ground and walked back to the cave behind Youkio.

Shippo nearly gasped when he entered the cave and saw Sesshomaru holding kagome against him while she slept. Shippo eyed him and tried to measure his worth to her but he could not make a judgement while she was writhing in agony. He looked like a worthy mate, he was powerful. But Shippo wondered if the demon lords temper would be the death of her.

Stoic amber eyes pinned him in place, as if her could read Shippo's mind Sesshomaru nodded toward him and invited him into the cave. Shippo jumped realizing that he had been staring and he shook his head and walked in to sit across from him.

Kagome wined low and all of the men in the cave looked at her with both pity and shame. None of them had wished for the curse and none more than Sesshomaru wished things had been different.

Youkio locked eyes with Sesshomaru. " there is still more than a day of this, will you stay with her through all of it?" he asked.

Sesshomaru measured Youkio's worth with the instincts of his clan and now the sword that raged against his spirit and magnified his power three fold. He cursed himself for ever thinking that he could undermine the power of this kami with his weak state. Sending his senses out to him he listened to the steady beat of Youkio's heart, felt the aura that surrounded him and scented for the fear and defeat that would name him unworthy of their time.

Youkio felt the invasion of Sesshomaru's investigation and was unguarded, trying to convince him one more time that he was a worthy companion, for the moment. " are you satisfied?" he asked after a few moments.

" hn." sesshomaru answered and noded to the cat acknowledging his worthiness. " yes, i will stay with her." he said and Youkio nodded.

" Good i would think you lower then dung if you did not." he said smirking. " that kami, she is the one that was in the tunnels? I began to explore those caves myself… how did you make it past her? And, did i hear correctly that she charged you with some kind of judgement?" he asked

" i did not seek her out. Kagome was captured and taken into her lair, i merely followed after her and destroyed the trials that stood in my way. When i found kagome, she was with her, unharmed and in order to leave her domain i had to agree to use her weapon. I did not realize it was a life binding curse from her." he answered and Youkio thought carefully.

" you really didn't realize that a kami would be serious about you using her weapon?" he asked making Sesshomaru frowned irritated at the implication.

" i am no one's puppet!" he barked.

" i don't think you have a choice now, though if you really wish to be rid of it and the woman you merely have to abandon it, isn't that interesting." he said tapping his finger against his pursed lips. Sesshomaru looked at him knowing that this was true, he doubted that with the binding curse he could do it, but if he could get it removed he could be done with this all.

Kagome shifted against him and he felt the wrongness of the idea to the core of his being. He didn't want to never see her again, some alone time would be nice, but to see her dead,brought a tightness to his chest that had until today would have made him homicidal, now he looked down at her with mixed emotions and Youkio snorted at the mock consideration.

" don't you dare!" shippo said angrily. He had been quiet until then, stewing over his guardians pain and unable to do anything about it. The demon warlord was acting as though he cared, but the sight of him considering kagome's death made him explode, though he knew it might mean his getting punished.

" Enough, Shippo." Youkio started and Shippo stood out of reach of the two.

" where do you get off telling me what to do! You're not my guardian, you're not even concerned whether she's in pain or not, you're acting as though her life is meaningless and something to be thrown away.

" no one is doing that Shippo." Youkio said sternly. The child turned un trusting eyes on him and Sesshomaru silenced the two of them.

"Silence." he barked and the two quieted. Shippo turned his attention to the inu and Sesshomaru met his stare with his own. " there is no need to worry about this woman's life, i have vowed to protect her, and i will, even from myself. Does this satisfy you, child?" he asked and Shippo nodded and went back to his place by the wall. Youkio let the boy calm down and turned his attention back to the silver haired demon.

" Lord Sesshomaru, there is now six days before the cloud city will touch earth, there is little time to plan for an attack." Youkio started and Sesshomaru stopped him.

" i said before that there will be no sneaking in, i will enter by the gate and ask for an audience with the leader, there will be little else he can do but to grant me my request, or pay for his transgressions at the end of my cl-sword." he said consciously trying to change his mindset. He would cause hell, oh, if that kami wants me to fill her cells with wretched creatures, then they will rain down on her like they never have before, he thought and it was carved on his heart now, with the curse she had placed on him, what an evil child to punish kagome for my mistakes, she will pay for this some day. He vowed and made it so in his heart.

" You expect to be granted an audience, just like that. Who do you think you are" Youkio said astounded at the arrogance of this demon. He knew that he was strong, he had cleaned up after his rampage, and even witnessed a kami address him but to just walk into a foreign city and start making demands was crazy.

" i am Sesshomaru, the eldest son of the great Inu no Taisho." he answered.

"...you're kidding." Youkio laughed.

" no." Sesshomaru said not wanting too be laughed at.

" I am sorry for being rude. Your father and I were somewhat acquaintances... Your not at all what he described." Youkio said turning somber.

Sesshomaru looked at the cat sceptically. " you knew my father?" he said not believing him.

"no, I knew Izayoi" he said and saw Sesshomaru tense and immediately regretted saying anything.

 **AN: thank you for of the reviews and the support. I am already working on the next chapter and am really excited to not only get to the city and find his mother but to introduce more twists and characters that will help mold Sesshomaru into the demon I've always imagined him to be. Thank you again!**

-inuyoukaidreamer,out


	21. i will fight you

Kagome was affected in agony but so long as he was with her, she was able to manage the pain of it. He stayed with her though she knew he was angry at her for trying to stop him from killing those villagers.

Being so close to him for such a long period of time,she began to notice things shed never picked up on in the last sevel months. She could feel the beating of his heart, it was slower than any creature she'd ever encountered and his hands were hardened, calloused, but his claws were finely manicured as if he cared alot ofr thier upkeep.

She listened to him growl something to shippo who snorted a response and left the cave, she looked at him and saw his lip raised in a snarl and her eyes were drawn to the fang that was revealed. Sharp, like a dagger, she thought.

Three days from the time the city would touch the peaks of the high mountain Kagome went to the place where the villagers were killed. Sesshomaru followed her sullenly through the forest standing back from the ordeal and not wanting to revisit the things that lead up to the curse. He had mixed feelings about the hated being restrained, hated it, and yet everything had opened the way for her to trust him with holding her against him, and had not been refusing him when he made gestures to touch her after.

Kagome was delighted seeingthat they had been buried, she knelt and began to pray. A light surrounded the grave site and everyone inside it was filled with the light of her spiritual power. She thanked the demons with her, and didn't miss when Sesshomaru turned and walked into the forest.

" I will not apologize for killing them." he said when she asked him about it.

" But no one deserves to die." she said and he turned to her.

" That is what a human thinks, for the shame of allowing my pack to be hurt, i would be put to death. For the dishonor of running from a fight, i would be executed and made an example of. You do not understand the ways of demons" he said not making any show of apologizing.

" I didn't know,…. Executed? Really?" she asked

" I, being the son of the greatest general, am not allowed to run from any fight, if i am challenged i have no other choice. That is what i was created for. I am killing perfection.

"You cannot change that, it is what i am." he said and she was washed with the realization that he truly was a being from beyond her comprehension.

Kagome left him alone and stewed over her thoughts. She watched the demons from a distance and struggled to understand why she couldn't get passed the differences between them, he was irritable and prone to violence from the first moment she met him, and she was against his behavior so much she would never allow herself to act that way even if her life was in danger. He was not like her, he was a demon.

" I owe you an apology." she sighed feeling like a fool.

He was walking ahead of her and at the mention of her apology he stopped mid stride. He sented for her deceit and when he found her only to be perplexed and seeking his attention he regarded her." You do?" he asked curious about what she had to say.

" I haven't been recognizing you as a demon. I've been trying to make you become what i want and it's not fair-" she started and he actually smiled. He saw her take a step back at the sight of his amusement and he stepped forward making her look up at him.

"So you admit you were wrong for stopping me?" he said in wonder she paused seeing that he was enjoying this.

" I am….I was ignoring what you are." she said and he began to chuckle.

" is that so?" he asked and she began to get irritated.

" On occasion i forget that you're a demon….and before the incident there was some kind of miscommunication between us… i don't know what that was about, buti didn't want to offend you, i felt like we were making a connection and i want to apologize for that too… i'm so dumb sometimes." she babbled and he recalled the scent of her when he woke up, he had gotten too far during a time when he was not in control of himself.

He stopped laughing, she bit her lip thinking that he was upset at the mention of something so embarrassing. " I want you to know that i promised to protect you, I meant it, no matter what kind of fight it leads into. Now that there is a curse, i will have to reconsider some of my more prefered methods, that being said, i have no plan to stop my pursuit of power, so much so that Violet herself will one day look at me as someone to be feared." he said meaning it.

" Sesshomaru what will you do if we cannot get this binding curse off? Will you have to wait until i'm an old hag before starting your life? I can't do that to you." she said and began to reach for the beads.

At once hope and dread lit through him at once. He realized during weeks he'd been with her that he liked being around her, too much. He wanted her to consider him as more than just someone she was bound to and defending her child from. He wanted her. When she began to reach for them he felt the dread of losing the security of her presence and tucked the beads in his shirt.

" This is not the time for that, let revisit this afterward." he said holding onto the last shred of stability in his life.

" Are you sure, you could live however you want to, even kill me and go on with your life if that's what you want…. I hope not, but i'd understand." she laughed and he growled at the thought.

" Don't be ridiculous." he said more angry than he meant to be.

Kagome tried again knowing that she had done something wrong again. " Sesshomaru I'm sorry-"

" I don't want your apologies" he said bitterly

" What do you want then?" she asked at a loss.

" I want you to understand, what i want." he barked and she threw her hands up.

"Yeah cause that's helpful." she said exasperated. Youkio jumped down between them and sesshomaru pushed him out of their business but he dodged him and went to kagome "i wish you would just tell me what you want, I can't read your mind and i'm not trying to offend you." she said trying to make him understand.

" No outsider has ever learned our secrets." he said and Youkio piped up. He jumped from Kagome's arms and transformed..

" I knew a woman that knew inuyoukai better than any other creature, she was my first human companion." he said and Sesshomaru growled." i'm afraid she had to learn the hard way though and was scarred by her lover during a misunderstanding. He regretted his actions when he saw that she truly didn't understand, Of course, but my point is that humans and demons are very different creatures but could live in peace given enough understanding between them" Youkio said while stretching..

" I understand why you don't know, it took me fifteen years to understand a lot of this stuff." shippo said making a carving with a small chunk of wood, she noticed that he'd been working on it for a few days but when she asked he'd say it was a s ecret..

" Fifteen? How old are you Shippo?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Like sixty i don't know how long i was trapped." he said and kagome gasped.

" How old are you Sesshomaru?" she asked.

"One hundred seventy seven" he remarked earning her absolute shock.

" I'm the youngest person in the entire group…. Really one hundred and seventy-"

"Seven" he added, she nodded.

" Your all ancient, i will be glad to live until i'm sixty" she said looking at them with awe. Sesshomaru frowned at that, she was young, and like a flower from the field, beautiful for a time but would soon fade and die with the next season. He didn't like the chill that ran through him. He didn't like the thought of watching Kagome grow old and die long before he would age even a year in appearance.

" if you are willing to listten i will… teach you about my people" he made a gesture of peace with her and watched her eyes light up. He felt the thundering in his chest when she nodded happily.

"So we can stop fighting so much. Definately" she laughed.

In the last days before the inu tribe came to the mountain, He watched kagome struggle to learn the things about his people that he could articulate. He found her questions odd but rewarding when she made attempts to adhere to his customs. He attempted to have patience when she offended him by improperly using gestures that would ordinarily cause a fight.

" You can't walk up to someone and smell them. Its rude. Since i am protecting you, you may approach me at any time, but Walking up behind a warlord is never allowed... your scent is obvious, i forgive this trespass, but warriors of my kind will not."

" You do what?" she said realizing how much she had walked up behind him and grabbed his arm because she wanted his attention.

" Those were the things my father valued, traditions and strict devotion to discipline and respect. What i want you to understand is this." he said and leaned to her hair presssing his nose to her skin. " here i can assess your general health." he moved to her ear. " here i sense the inner workings of your aura" he tipped her head back and put his nose to her neck making her shiver and try to push him off of her.

"Thats too close." she said and he growled feeling denied of his right as her protector.

" Then you do not care about my people?" he asked offended

" i care, kagome muttered and lifted her chin to give him access. His nose brushed her throat and she held her breath trying to stop the butterflies that she felt in her stomaach from the gesture.

" here i can feel your emotions, tell whether you've grown in power or been injured. This is also a greeting of members of the same pack." he said when she calmed down. He could scent her arousal at the gesture and supresse the urge to bite down on her supple flesh.

" Are we pack?" she asked softy as her heart thundered in her chezt. He regarded her knowing that she didn't understand the implications of her question but wanted to answer her.

"As long as we are bound with the same fate you are in my pack." he said and she nodded trying to wrap her mind around all of the things she had to pay attention to. She thought living in the shrine meant a lot of posturing and tradition and she thanked the kami that made her, that she was born a human.

The time came to travel to the highest peak and they crossed the familiar terrain of snow and freezing wind. She was grateful for his more than human body temperature as she clung to him, trying to keep the wind from her face." Put your nose on my shoulder. You will be warmed immediately." he said and she placed her nose to his skin expecting him to complain about the freezing contrast but he didn't.

She was warmed within moments and she sighed against him and he had to bite back the groan that threatened to escape as her breath feathered over his skin. Youkio snorted and he teased the inuyoukai with underhanded comments that doubled for sexual innuendos.

" Are you quite done?" he asked after the cat made a particularly lewd comment. Kagome blushed..

" I was only jesting." he said and sesshomaru let Kagome slip from his grasp. She looked up at the cliff that held the memories of their first encounter with hawk demons.

She saw the foothold that she had slipped from and noticed Youkio looking up at it with the same apprehension. Sesshomaru did not wait too long before he began his ascent. Jakken and shippo grabbed on to him and kagome as he lifted himself and the weights of his three companions. He scaled the cliff with ease making youkio look up at him with irritation.

" Having trouble cat? I thought your race was supposed to be highly dexterous?" he asked and crawled over the side of the cliff to put the woman and smaller demons on the surface of the ledge.

Kagome pulled his arm trying to help him and he allowed her the illusion of assisting him. Youkio took a while to peek up over the surface and looking back he began to panick and sesshomaru reached to him and grabbed him and yanked him up over the ledge.

He gasped and looked back over the edge and began to tremble.

" You're not telling me that youre afraid of heights…. As we are about to enter a city that sets above the clouds." he scoffed and Youkio hissed.

" That is a city it's different then dangling over the edge of a cliff." he defended himself and Kagome snickered.

" I climbed half way the first time we came up here." she said and Sesshomaru smirked.

" how did you only get half way?" youkio asked hesitantly. Kagome looked away guiltily.

" I fell." she hesitated and Youkio hissed angry that her story had a bad ending. Looked up and smiled at sesshpmaru. He felt his heart race and leaned to her to take in the scent of her laughter, she responded, seeing him lean forward, and tilted her jaw back showing him that she trusted him. He nodded his approval and leaned to her to press his nose to her skin and marveled when she didn't fight him.

He began to be used to the constant companionship and strange gestures after the few days, it was odd to her at first, but the longer they went in this ritualistic scenting and touching, the more she wanted it to continue. She chastized herself for getting too wrapped up in her feelings for sesshoamru.

For sesshomaru, he thought of the time that he'd spent in solitude and felt like he had been missing this. He realized she was beginning to understand how he felt about her with the subtle ways he reached out to her. She began to understand habits like sleeping above the ground, marking territories and what it means when you see a mark already established, how he greets or is challenged by other demon males, which she realized was more then she had ever thought.

On the last day Kagome sighed and sat down on a rock that sat atop a large mound, she sighed " I never realized how complicated demons are…. I always figured that you just existed as humans but lived longer… with claws" she said as Sesshomaru stood over her shoulder and looked out over the distance of the vast expanse of land laid out before them.

"Hardly, when i reach my two hundreds i am bound to go before the council of demons. Heads of all of the demons clans and they are going to give me a rank in the demon world. It will be the title that i am gifted with and if they find me worthy to start my own clan i will be gifted with land and villages to oversee.

" So you are trying to become a village chief…" she asked and he snorted.

" That is what my father wanted." he said and Kagome smiled.

" I don't see you running a village…. I kind of picture you wandering the countryside looking for the biggest fight you could manage." she asiad.

" That is what i was planning." he said slightly taken aback by her accurate guess.

" You could come home if you wanted to, its no floating palace but it is some place you can be at peace." she said

She saw Shippo getting tired and reached to him to hold him against her chest. Shippo smiled at her and showed her his carving. "Do you see this… it's magic." he said as he threw it down. Kagome was shocked backwards when the top grew in size and caused a torrent of wind to whip around like a tornado.

Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome's arm and held her from falling off the cliff. She grasped him and tried to hold shippo too but she could barely see.

" Whoooo" Shippo yipped and recalled the top. " Have you ever seen fox magic before?" he asked.

" Never." Kagome answered and shippo scoffed.

" You probably have and don't know it. I'm not old enough yet but fox demons can change shape into other creatures and even uses tools to scare humans. Wanna see." he said making a face that made kagome shake her head.

" Maybe later." she said and he sighed.

" enough shippo." Sesshomaru growled and meditated for a time until the guard from the gate called to them and asked them what their business was. Sesshomaru stood and looked at the dark inu with expectation. " There is a white inuyoukai female here that belongs to me." he said as the guard considered him.

" Who are you to her i heard her mate was killed in battle. You don't look like you could be even old enough to walk into this city." he said looking down at Sesshomaru with dark eyes that were half covered with his long black hair.

Kagome looked between the two inuyoukai and marveled the difference between the two. The darker one was larger, with more hair and huskier. Sesshomaru was lanky with hardened muscles and finely trimmed features. They looked like titans prepared to clash right there, both inhuman and deadly.

" Sesshomaru shouldn't you tell them that it is your mother your after?" she whispered coming up to his side and leaning to him quietly.

" -Sesshomaru? You are her son?" he asked taking a step back. " Also the son of the inu no taisho?" he asked as Sesshomaru growled his response. " i see, then welcome, we have been waiting for you." he said and Sesshomaru began to enter the city gates with the party of demons and human behind him.

The group earned stares from everyone they encountered. Jakken paraded himself as Sesshomaru's retainer and was paid no attention, but the sight of the woman carrying a fox demon and the neko that stayed back from them warranted both growls of amazement and disgust.

Sesshomaru had to turn around once when a male stepped forward and grabbed Kagome to put his nose in her direction. She was frozen in fear, and Sesshomaru growled and went to the demon adolescent and punched him to the ground. He grabbed Kagome's hand and made her walk with him. " it is not safe here." he said and Youkio grunted, coming to walk at his back.

" I wanted to sneak in rather than earn the attention of the entire inu demon army. It does seem like you were able to get in as you said." Youkio looked around at the high walls and extravagant craftsmanship and was amazed that they had put so much money into the appearance of their city when they were a renowned war tribe.

" The lady will see you." the guard said to them after making them wait outside the throne room. Kagome panted and tried to catch her breath from the countless flights of stairs that they were forced to climb. She grabbed on to Sesshomaru and tried to use his strength to steady her. He allowed this though, it was a sign of deeper companionship, he sighed and ignored the looks from the demon males around him. This is going to be trouble he thought and kagome followed after him when the door opened.

" Sesshomaru!" a woman's voice called in delight. He stopped at the door and looked up at the white inuyoukai who stared down at him from the throne and smiled a mother's smile for her child.

He knelt. " Mother, what has happened i was told you were taken prisoner. This is not what i had imagined" he asked and she summoned him closer. He stood and went to her leaving the group of demons behind him, only Kagome approached behind him and the inu females eyes didn't even touch her as her son reached her footstool.

Sesshomaru's mother stood and embraced him, putting her nose to his chin and breathing in deeply. Her eyes snapped to the priestess then," I see you have had quite the year, is this all true. Have you been granted power from this woman and the guardien kami?" she asked and he nodded.

she clapped her hands on his shoulders and brought her forehead to his. " You have also changed. There is so much difference in you i can hardly look at you the same." she said as he was relieved to filled with pride rather then regret.

" Mother, this is Kagome… She is under my protection." he said before stepping aside to watch the greeting between the two.

His mother approached Kagome and the human woman was trembling, somewhere between fear and nervousness, and though she stumbled into the greeting, the ability to feel the danger she was in helped her to remain still when the inu female placed her nose against her throat in a test of courage.

She drew in the scent of the woman and knew she possessed her mates child. "So this is how you became apart of my sons life. You have the child… you do not smell of my mate-or i would cut you down here. What are you to my son?" she demanded and Sesshomaru began to get nervous.

" Mother, she is my priestess, she has healed me and our kind in a time of war." he said making sure to remind her that this human was under his protection. " she is the reason i've found you, and the only reason i've been able to come so far." he said and his mother turned eyes on him that held suspicion and irritation.

" Sesshomaru you have begun to protect this woman, even from me?… You know how i feel about humans. I can barely stand her presence here." she said making Kagome blush and Sesshomaru growl. He knew how she felt about humans, it hadnt been a secret, and her loathing was something he didnt wish on any one.

" Mother this is something different from war, i though you would be happy." he tried and she growled not wanting to hear him out.

" I would be happier if she was an inu female. How are you going to carry on our line with the blood of a puny waif." she said as Sesshomaru blushed. He hadnt thought that far ahead, didnt even know if she reciprocated his feelings, he was embarrased that his mother would speak with such disreguard.

" Mother-"The two squared off and locked eyes in a battle of wills. Eventually his mother backed down knowing that he was serious about the woman and she turned her attention to the rest of the demons, trying to put aside the anger that had begun to eat at her. Immediatly she began to plot a way to sepperate them.

" Who are these demons, is the kit now your child and the cat your proclaimed brother?" she looked at Sesshomaru and Kagome realized where he got his sense of sarcasm.

" The neko is here on his own accord, the kit is as you say, my ward, a commission to me from the kami i am working for." he said his mother laughed outright.

She clapped her hands together and summoned a staff of servants. " i want you to prepare them some rooms, they will be staying as long as we are touching the mountain... cat!" she called and Youkio raised his hackles but approached. " Why have you come into my city?" she asked as Youkio took a steadying breath.

" I have come for my brother who is imprisoned here." he said as the lady leaned forward.

" You mean Ren? ...Then you are Youkio?" she said as he nodded. She smiled and looked at her son. " Do you know that you are traveling with a thief and acomplished treeasure hunter?" she asked as he shrugged.

" He is tolerable." Sesshomaru answered.

" What do you give me in order for his release." she asked and all eyes looked at him. Youkio stepped forward and knelt at the foot of the lady.

" If i had known that a beautiful woman was the leader of this tribe i would have brought something much more suited to you, but alas all that i possess is a map of indescribable value." he said and pulled it from his robe.

"My Lady," a guard said stepping forward to cease the cat demon, she stopped him and he stood ready to tackle him if he was called to do so.

" I know what it is…. Youkio this is worth an entire kingdom, you really want to trade it for the life of that ingrate?" she asked as he nodded.

" For my brother i would do anything." he answered as Sesshomaru's mother nodded.

" Very well then, at the third day he will be released. I never want to see him again though… warn him." she said and Shippo looked at him, for a second time catching him being warned about his brother. Who is he? Shippo wondered and watched the ginger feline recluse at the acceptance of his request.

Kagome paced the room, she had been in there alone for hours and she was beginning to be nervous. She hadn't had a chance to talk with Sesshomaru since they got here. He was absorbed in his mother's company and Kagome didn't have the heart to say anything to him about her nervousness.

Her room was more lavish than any place she had ever been before and she spent the time in isolation looking through the oddities until she was bored and looking for any distraction. There was a small knock on her door and Kagome looked up with excitement as Shippo slipped through the door and closed it behind her. He jumped into her arms and she hugged him tightly. " i was in my room alone, i didn't want to be alone any more. You don't mind do you?" he asked and she shook her head.

" I was feeling the same way." she said.

Sesshomaru walked along the wall of the city that stood above everything in the earth. He marveled at the height and felt the wind through his hair like a powerful reminder of how small he was in the scheme of time and reality.

He had touched the depths of despair and survived countless horrors and now when his life was starting to spiral out of control, he found the one person he had always gone back to, to be in a position of stability, offering him something that he would use to gain power beyond his father's ability.

He felt his mother beside him and welcomed her when she grasped his hand with hers and looked at him with contentment evident in her eyes. " You are different, almost as if-... tell me what's happened?" she asked him trailling off. She noticed the softness on his eyes and wondered if the woman had anything to do with that.

"The woman father mated with is dead, and she passed the child into the hands of two shrine maidens before she died. They proved to be more difficult than i anticipated. I have been there with them bound by this curse and unable to exact my revenge until now." he said freely. She frowned and felt shame for her son being trapped with humans for so long.

" You really are tied to the human? For this whole time you have been with her? And what of the child."

" She treats him as though he were her own…. I have agreed to delay my revenge." he said and she did a double take.

" You agreed? Who is she to you? What has she done to your mind that you are now willing to put spite and vengeance to the wayside." she asked motioning for a servant to bring her a drink. He came to her with a goblet and offered one to Sesshomaru. He declined and followed her to the door of an elegant chamber. She went to a cushion and motioned him to sit with her, running her fingers through his hair and worrying over the scars he'd earned since she'd last seen him.

" I have vowed to protect the priestess, in order to be freed from this binding curse,and i am willing to put off my vengeance rather than murder the child-it suited my purposes in getting her to come with me. There is not much that i'm sacrificing, her life will fade long before the boy even reaches maturity. After she is gone i will test the boy's strength and determine then whether i will kill him or not." he said and his mother nodded.

" Then you have decided to move on with your life?" she asked and he nodded seeing her smile. She wrapped her arms around him and she hugged him tightly. " I am so glad. You are welcome here, you only have to ask me and there will be a place for you. If you decided to stay i could arrange for the shamans from the farthest reaches of the country to break this binding curse." she said toying with the string of beads, he shook his head.

" I am capable of dealing with this mother. In this time, you have managed to avoid the one question that i have, and that is how on earth you become the leader of this city"" he said taking the beads out of her hand and tucking them in his shirt.

" It was quite easy, i simply accepted the mating offer and am now, by proxy, the ruler of this land." she said making Sesshomaru shake his head.

" You agreed to this? Father has been dead one year." he said making it known that he did not approve of her decision. She sighed and nodded.

" I know why you feel that way, you don't want your mother to have a lover, aside from your father, also that your father's transgression is so fresh in your mind. I tell you this, Sesshomaru. The man that was to be my mate was killed the day after our mating in a skirmish with our tribe. I was immediately made the leader and am going to lead this people. It's quite marvelous, they treat me as if i was one of their own and i never have to ask for anything." She smiled and motioned to all she had around her. He had to admit that she did look healthy, and smelled of contentment rather than bitterness of scorn.

" Killed? By who?" he said trying to keep the shock from his eyes. He had truly made this journey for nothing.

" By some, nobody, on the field of battle, Sesshomaru it is war, men fall every day in this tribe. Like in ours. I am simply now in a position to protect you from that life, if you wish it." she said leaning to him and brushing back his bangs. He leaned out of her reach frustrated and she growled." You deny me my right after so much time?" she said angry with his standoffishness.

" Mother i am not going to run from battle, it is not my way." he said and she growled.

" You sound like your father, he was obsessed with strength and power just like you are. Don't you want to turn away from his ways?" she urged trying to make him listen.

" Mother you are mistaken, i am not in pursuit of father's dreams, i am my own warrior, a man that now has something worth fighting for, myself.. You cannot trap me here. I need to be what i was made for, i am not meant to bow and scrape in ivory towers and in chambers like these." he motioned to the thick concrete walls and masterful artwork and shook his head at it all.

" But after everything? Can you still continue to fight when there is nothing to be gained from it. If you want i would give you the entire city to reign over as its king, and i will concede to you." she said going to him and making him look at her. She saw the eyes of her son, the boy that wanted to be held when he was crying, the child that used to laugh and sing and play, and wanted him to understand that she never wanted him to become what his father made him.

" I am not my father. I cannot stop fighting. There is more than just the tribal wars and boundary disputes. I am fighting for myself."

" For yourself? What does that mean!" She said not wanting him to turn from her again into darkness.

Sesshomaru tried to make her understand, he had no choice but to be as he was, " Mother. I cannot stop. My rivals are coming, their forces are coming, because they always have. I am stronger and more powerful than most demons of my age and so i have to fight. There is no other choice for me and that is something you have never wanted to see. When father began to train me. I became strong enough to care for you. Or have you forgotten what happened because of my weakness." he said not caring about the offended look in her eyes. She started to say something back to him, to chastise him, but he was right. She conceded to his assessment and lowered her eyes from him. " i am not father, look at me mother." He urged and she looked up trying to fight the bitterness.

" I don't want you to fight." she said and he nodded.

" You're not the only one, but again, i have to.." he smirked at the irony of it. He had never wanted to fight as a child, had hated being with his father and being on guard with every breath. It had made him wary of the company of others. It had made him bitter and he had trainned so long for the sole purpose of killing the man that had forced this life on him. He shook his head. " I have begun to understand why you cherish a live of peace. I have seen people thrive in this life. But, it is not mine." he said

" I could be. Choose any of the inu females that you desire and stay in this village. You can live in peace here with me, i will make it so." she said and he began to protest.

" I do not want an inu female, or to stay in this city. I have an obligation to the priestess which i have already told you about." he said irritated that she was going to push this issue again.

" But Sesshomaru, she's a human. What does it matter to break your oath to that thing, she will fade faster than the time it take you to forget her name. Why don't you choose someone that will understand and give you what you need" she said not thinking it was fair that not only her mate but her son was taken with these human women.

" I am capable of making my own choice in this matter. Thank you mother, but i will retire." he said and leaned to her to brush his nose against her temple and felt her displeasure. He frowned but sighed knowing that she would come around.

" I want to see her. Will you permit it?" she asked him as he opened the door to the chamber and began to walk out, he stopped.

" You cannot kill her, if you make this promise then i will allow it." he said and he heard her scoff

" I won't kill your human." she mocked him and he nodded knowing that though she was being difficult she had heard what he said and respected him enough not to harm her after telling him so.

His mother looked after him, and she hoped she wasn't seeing what she suspected, the year and a half since she had known him had served to make him into a man that she no longer knew. She wasn't angry with him, she was glad that he was using something else besides hatred and bitterness as his demeanor. He seemed as though he were protecting something now, more than the puny woman's life " Humans…. I just don't understand what is s appealing about them."

He wandered to the chamber that was made for him, it was impressive, stylish for the era, and beyond anything he had ever desired in his entire existence. He paced the room, wanting to see the stars and being confined, finally he looked around the empty space after almost an hour and felt the emptiness like a consuming dread that ate at him.

It was midnight when Kagome heard the door to her chamber open. She sat up alarmed but sighed when she saw Sesshomaru's pale figure, She waved him in and felt some measure of comfort when he sat down next to her on the futon.

" Were you able to speak with your mother?" Kagome asked yawning.

" Yes...i should not have woken you." he said seeing how tired that she was.

Seeing him begin to leave kagome stopped him and he turned back to her hearing her heart race. " It's okay, i was having trouble sleeping anyway, i don't feel comfortable here. I've never been confined behind walls like these before… it's a little intimidating." she said and he nodded.

" I felt the same way. I have never wanted to be confined to one city. She desires to stay here, she seems happy, i will return with you to your home after we are done here as promised. I would imagine the woman and child will be glad to have you back…" he said relieved that she was willing to be in his company. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

" i miss them, i think Kikyou will like Shippo... What do you think?" she asked and he considered it carefully.

" I don't think she will mind. Though your hut is going to be cramped with another person sleeping in it." he said and she smiled.

" It is a little small, but its durable." she said and he scoffed and looked at her heatedly.

Seeing her blush under the weight of his stare he started to lean forward, wanting to take in the scent. She felt his hand on her neck as he pulled her to him and buried his nose in her hair, boldly showing her the affection he displayed only to family.

Feeling the excitement of her closeness he pulled her against him and placed her nose under his ear trying to make her adhered to instincts that were not hers. He wanted her to draw in his scent, to comfort him as a mate would, with nuzzling. she was compliant not realizing the depth of this ritual, but responded with acceptance.

When he pulled her to him she placed her nose against his skin and breathed in making him growl like she had never heard him before, she felt the reverberation through her entire being and was warmed with the feel of closeness they were sharing. " Sesshomaru you know that tickles." she whined when he put his nose against her ear and nuzzled it while puffing hot breaths against her neck.

When Kagome fell asleep again it was by his side. He tried to pull himself away from her after she dozed off, but he found himself helpless to the pull of the warmth of being with her. He considered returning to his chamber, being alone in his over lavish room with suffocating walls around him, and layed down, feeling her turn into his chest when she felt him next to her.

" Arent you tired?" she yawned sleepily and closed her eyes..

"No. I will be here when you wake." he said and brought her to his chest, Kagome sighed and buried her nose against his sternum breathing in deeply and then drifting back to sleep.

When kagome woke up again, she was beneath the majority of Sesshomaru weight. His nose was on her shoulder, and she was curtained in his silver hair that fanned out around them, she could hear him snoring softly against her neck. She took a moment to wake up and began to try to extract herself from under him, slightly embarrassed by the things she was feeling.

He started when she began to stir and pulled back to look down on her face. He was just emerging from his light slumber and was brought to attention by the scent of her arousal. She looked up at him with pink staining her features and he nearly leaned to kiss her when there was a knock at the door and he was forced to stop.

" Lord Sesshomaru!" Jakken squawked, he growled and pulled back from her getting up and going to the door. She took a big breath and tried to rub away the blush and the rummy haze that was clouding her mind as the door opened. She looked up at the irritation that was written in his posture and sat up, pulling herself from the warmth of the cushions and futon.

" Youkio!" she gasped looking up and seeing him claw at the ledge, she leaned to him scooped him up from the window sill. He was trembaling and gripped her shoulders with his calws before she extracted them from her skin. Sesshomaru growled.

" I was trying to wake you. I've been on that sill for the whole night." he hissed and bitterly jumped to the ground.

" ...The whole night?" she asked and he grunted when she blushed.

" I didn't watch… i could not get your attention, though i tried several times." he mentioned and Kagome blushed harder.

" What do you want?" Sesshomaru demanded not liking to be interrupted. Jakken cleared his throat.

" The lady requests your presence." he said and Sesshomaru began to walk to the door. Kagome frowned not looking forward to being bored again all day. " Not you, she wants the priestess." Jakken said and motioned for her to follow him.

 **AN: thank you and see you soon! I really appreciate the reviews and the enthusiasm you all have for this piece. I will try to update soon, take it easy.**

 **-inuyoukaidreamer out**


	22. for myself

When Jakken motioned for her to follow him Kagome paused and felt her heart leap. She was still feeling the glow of a fit sleep and blushed remembering the way she felt when she had woken up being held by Sesshomaru, something she had dreamt of often, but never thought would actually happen.

She felt him looking at her and she knew he was reading her scent with the heated look in his eyes. She bit her lip and thought about how close they had come to finally acting on the things that they were feeling towards each other. She knew he wanted her, felt it in the possessive way he guarded their relationship and his place in it. She liked his spirit, loved his loyalty and his heart and after the year she had watched him transform she was ashamed that it had taken her so long to realize what he meant to her.

Sesshomaru followed her out of the room and walked down the corridors behind her. Inu watched her and she found herself looking from one demon face to the next as they walked to the main meeting hall for the chief. She saw how they regarded Sesshomaru with both loathing and respect and didn't have to guess why he didn't want to stay. She looked at him and saw that his features were like stone and he was revealing nothing about his true feelings.

Kagome was taken to a meeting chamber and given tea while she waited for the chief to arrive. Kagome looked around and watched Sesshomaru pace the room waiting for the moment his mother would make her wishes known to him and her inspection was over with.

Kagome took a breath, it had been awhile since she felt the the scrutiny of a man's mother. She had experienced this with village boys with their mother's disapproving stares and warnings. But, when Sesshomaru's mother entered the chamber, she smiled at the occupants, making kagome take a second look. She was beautiful and her smile warmed her eyes when she turned to her son and kagome knew automatically why he had been so worried about her, he had someone in his life that meant something to him and it was evident.

"Sesshomaru, you don't trust me with your human?" she chuckled and went to kagome as though she were going to embrace the woman. Sesshomaru made a guttural sound that stopped her in her tracks and she smiled showing sharp fangs and making kagome shiver at the deadliness of her stare. The woman's eyes turned to kagome and she was frozen, like she had been caught. " i see my son has taken an interest in you, and you have bound him with a curse,and so i will not underestimate your power, this being said i have to make my wishes known, and that is that you release my son from this binding curse and never look at him again." she said making kagome gasp.

Kagome didn't know what to say, she was put on the spot and she looked at sesshomaru who was holding the side of his head like he was experiencing a headache. " mother. I asked you to let me handle it." he said making the inu woman frown.

"You said, but i never agreed, this is ridiculous, she is just a human." she said as though it were silly to even fight about something so meaningless. " oh alright." she said and called in a servant, she called for the morning meal and beckoned sesshomaru to sit with her. She sat across from kagome with sesshomaru at the head of the table. They bowed and said their thanks for the meal and began to eat casually. Kagome took one bite and was unable to eat her meal. The inu woman saw this and smirked.

" Mother, a human cannot eat this, they do not suggest the same way we do." Sesshomaru pushed the food back from her informing his mother. She shrugged.

" We don't have human food here." she said and Sesshomaru growled.

" It's okay, i brought something in my packs, i will wait until i return to the room you prepared for me, it is beautiful and i wanted to thank you for the trouble you've gone to for us."s he tried to make the situation brighter, but the inu woman looked at her with some disapproval and sesshomaru growled making her look at him and then turn her eyes away from the woman.

" I am glad you find it acceptable. " she nearly snarled.

Kagome was at a loss she looked at sesshomaru for some cue and he looked between them perplexed beyond belief. " and the city is so beautiful, i admit that i'd imagined it several times and its more extravagant than i ever would have dreamed." she smiled and she felt sesshomaru's eyes on her, she met his glance and smiled making his mother look up with some alarm and keen a low tone that had sesshomaru irritated again. Kagome looked between the two and wished she knew what to do to make this less awkward.

The three spent the day together, walking around the city and seeing everything worth seeing, which to kagome was everything. She was excited, happy about the strangeness of it and she even managed to make sesshomaru smile at her antics. His mother frowned as she watched the interaction and saw clearly how sesshomaru felt about her simply because of the fact that he even interacted with her at all.

Entering the market place kagome was taken with the sight of an exotic bird that was caged with inu walking around and looking at it with curiosity and amazement. She grabbed sesshomaru's hand and pulled him behind her as she entered the crowd. " look at this what is it?" she said and stood amazed at the base of the cage and stared up at the giant creature who turned to her and made gestures of hunger, knowing that the creature in front of him would make a fine meal.

" Kagome he wants to eat you." he said trying to keep the irritation of being surrounded get to him, kagome heard the stiffness in his voice and looked back at him and saw his tensed features. He didn't try to hide his discomfort and it was evident when inu began to move away from them until only she remained standing in front of the cage. She raised her brow and he shrugged. " I do not care for the company of others." he said not trying to justify it but simply stating it as a fact.

" I know." she said to the side and looked back at the large eyes that looked at her with interest.

" Why don't you flea?" she heard its voice in her mind and kagome looked around and saw that no one else heard him. She thought that it was a trick of her mind and heard the proddings of his laughter. " why don't you flea, the demon is most dangerous and wanting to be left alone."

" Sesshomaru do you hear it?" she asked and he looked at her.

" This creature is able to telegraph thoughts, it is most dangerous and wanting to be left alone." he said and began to walk away, kagome was struck with the similar words used by both creatures to describe the other, she stayed at the cage for a moment and considered unlocking the cage. Why does such an elegant creature deserve to be trapped here and made into someone else's pet, she thought and reached for the lock on the cage.

" Yes, release me from my binding, a creature such as I should not be held back from my destiny" it jumped down to the bottom of the cage and stood in front of her, she looked up at the creature and saw that its claws were as long as her arms and his wings were as wide as one of the buildings. He leaned down to look at her and she was amazed staring at the bird's eye as if it were entrapping her. " tell me why you don't run from us? Why don't you run?" he asked and she felt her hand move forward to touch the lock.

" Kagome, stay close it is not safe here." Sesshomaru grabbed her hand before she could release the giant avian creature and turned his eyes on it with challenge. The two stared at the other with a mixture of hatred and respect and kagome was intrigued with the beauty of it. She followed him when he turned but looked back and saw the inspection of the demon behind her.

" That was interesting." his mother remarked as he walked to where she was, she had a servant waiting on her and she thanked him and dismissed the youth before sesshomaru got to her. " i thought your human was going to free the beast over there, she was nearly to the point of it with his manipulating magics. He had tried on several of my citizens." she said and turned to kagome with a smirk.

" Why is he here?" kagome asked as his mother seemed to ignore her.

" Oh- he's a prisoner, serving out his sentencing. He was a war criminal who has killed more people than is numbered unter this sum right now. There has only ever been one person to defeat him, that was, your father, six years ago." she said and sesshomaru shrugged.

" He is of no consequence, i remember his legacy and it is just its basic feeding practices" Sesshomaru said not thinking it was worth getting excited about. Kagome glanced back to the cage and saw its eyes still on her the creature stood tall with its feathers plumed and spreading its wings. Sesshomaru followed her line of sight and glared at the creature and moved between them making his mother sigh,

Shippo looked up at the dungeon ceiling, he followed youkio to the depths of the darkest places and youkio was still walking. " What did your brother do to make everyone hate him so much?" Shippo asked yawning. He acting passe about it though he was curious beyond belief.

Youkio flicked his tail back at shippo and flicked him on the nose. " There hasn't been much that he hasn't done…. But he's my brother and i promised our mother that i would look after him." Youkio said thumbing a small scar on his arm, he smirked and recalled the incident with bitter amusement. " i am always cleaning up after him, from the moment we set out on our own i have followed after his tonato of chaos." youkio feigned innocent but shippo snorted and jumped up on to his shoulder and held on

" Ha you're acting innocent to me...i heard the chief here call you a thief, i believe her too." Shippo said making youkio turned and rub his shoulder against the wall making shippo squeal and jump off to keep from being smashed against the wall.

" I am not exactly a thief, i only steal things i want." he was indignant and Shippo laughed.

" Youkio?" a man's voice said from a cell. Youkio stopped and peered inside and smile. He put his arm through the bars and shippo saw a man get up out of the shadows and shippo gasped seeing a man identical to Youkio but dark haired compared to the ginger cat beside him.

" Ren." he said pleased. " You look better than you did the last time i saw you." youkio looked over the thin neko and nodded seeing that at least his face wasn't as gaunt as he'd seen it before. " The dogs must be feeding you." he said and ren snorted.

" These dogs eat filth, i am looking forward to the hunt. What is your plan, brother?" he asked as Youkio smiled.

" There is no plan this time." he said and Ren gripped the bars.

" Are you going to abandon me here?" he asked beginning to panic,

" Not hardly. I have become allied with this cities prince and he has arranged for a proper trade. You will be released tomorrow when the city is to leave the mountain top. I have been told on several occasions to warn you against returning." youkio smirked and ren shook his head. He ran his fingers through his short black hair and scratched the back of his neko ear.

" The prince? You have become acquainted with an aristocrat?" he said amazed.

" No, it is the warlord, inu no taisho's' son, sesshomaru." he said and ren raised his brow.

" You mean he's that stuffy pricks kid? Well that's lucky. Have you told him what the old dog wanted us to." he asked whispering though he knew they were as alone as they could be in this city.

Shippo looked up at the other cat demon and saw the glint of madness. " I have not, he does not want to hear about those old things." Youkio said trying to make him stop his ravings. " You must not push this one, he is in the service of that kami you offended and has her sword of judgement." Youkio said.

" ….And?" Ren said bored.

" There is a woman with him-" Youkio started and Ren grinned lecherously.

" I see, then she is beautiful." he said and Yukio grabbed his ear in his fist and Ren growled a low whine.

" I am serious this one is dangerous, don't make him mad. If you do i cannot keep him from killing you, i cannot risk my life for something that i cannot guarantee." he said and ren raised his brow and rubbed the place where youkio had grabbed his ear. He looked at his brother's face and was glad to see him, even if it was from behind bars. He had sat in that dungeon for more than a month and had nearly gone insane with boredom. Youkio looked healthy, had a friend and it seemed more than one friend to help him out of his predicament. Ren sighed and nodded.

" I will consider what you told me brother." he said and Shippo snorted.

" You going to get yourself killed if you don't." he said and ren looked down on him.

" Who are you, little fox?" he asked snidely and shippo stuck his tongue out at him. Youkio sighed.

The night came with a feast, sesshomaru went back to the city to find anything that was suitable for Kagome to eas and had his mother incorporate it into her feast. She made one serving for Kagome and expected her to eat it. Sesshomaru was exasperated at his mother's behavior, she had introduced him to several inu females but he was not interested in anyone but Kagome.

The crowd of inu was making Sesshomaru on edge, he felt the brush of people against him when he walked and tried to keep kagome in sight. He was disoriented after a moment and walked to the balcony looking for air. He stood on the ledge and looked across the city feeling confines and wanting to escape. He recalled the crowds on inu as a child and the way he had to be on guard for everything. He had lived the last year of his life not having to be and was now experiencing true anxiety at being expected to play along with this parading. He took a deep breath to calm himself and turned when he felt kagome approach him.

" What are you doing out here?" she asked and Sesshomaru reached his hand out to her and helped her onto the railing. She balanced precariously and he gripped her hand tightly to keep her back.

" I needed some air," he said and she nodded.

" Okay." she said though she suspected it had more to do with the crowd of people then his ability to breath, she thought that demons were incredible, having energy beyond her comprehension and continuing to celebrate even into the morning. She yawned and he looked at her hoping to use her as an excuse to retire.

" You seem tired." he said and stepped down from the railing and scooping her up and making her stand once more on the floor. He felt eyes on them and he made no show of moving from her as another inu female approached him. Kagome turned and was locked under a gaze that if it could have would have gutted her there on the balcony.

" Hello, i am s glad to finally meet you, lord sesshomaru, your mother has been raving about you since she arrived. I dare say she has made quite the impression herself. " the female said with a smooth alto, he grabbed kagome's arm and held her to his side when the inu female cornered them.

" Then you are familiar with my lack of patience, good bye." he said making the female frown but not back down.

" I see the rumors are true, you are toting around a human child. Come here human, i have a treat for you," she beckoned and kagome blushed feeling embarrassed to be beckoned like a pet. The inu woman withdrew a small parcel and sesshomaru growled.

" She does not need your potions. And i do not wish for company, so if we are quite done here i will retire." he said and pulled kagome behind him to the entrance to the feast, he wound his way through the crowd of people and earned several curious and disgusted stares. He begins to lose his temper with this tribe. It was evident of the bigotry and the disgust and constant watching was beginning to remind him of things he'd tried hard to put behind him. He was nearly running down the corridors draggin kagome behind him and making her keep grabbed onto his arm to make him slow down and he stopped.

" What happened back there?" she asked and he turned and began to walk once more this time at a slower pace, they were far enough from that crowd that he began to feel more at ease but the sound and scent of the celebration was making him want to run as fast and as far as he could.

" When they got to her chamber he pressed the door open and went in, not caring about the eyes of the guards that were on him. " i do not like to be trapped with my people." he said finally vocalizing what he'd been feeling all day. She went to him embracing him around the middle and rested her ear against his chest. He stood still for a moment before bringing his hands up to her back and holding her against him. It felt nice to be held by her, he understood that she was trying to comfort him and tried to take from it as much as he could, but it was not his way.

" I can understand that, when i'm surrounded i feel like at any moment the crowd will turn and i will…." she started to describe her feelings when sesshomaru interrupted

"...Have to defend my life." he finished and she looked up at him

" When i have you, i'm not afraid." she said and stood on her toes to reach him with her nose, she was only tall enough to reach the base of his neck and shoulder and left a kiss deeply inhaling his scent as if she could sense how much he needed to be comforted. Sesshomaru felt the kiss like an electric shock through him and he raised his hand to the back of her head and held her there wanting her to continue. Kagome felt him take in a hollow breath and was happy that she could make him feel something aside from pain. She reached up to his shoulders to keep her to him and repeated the kiss feeling pleasure touch her as a caress throughout her body.

Biting down slightly on the place she could reach she was trying to think of reasons to stop, to turn from him before it was too late, but the memories of being with him constantly over the last several weeks had left her with something she had never expected to feel for this demon, security. He was safe, protective, loyal and beyond everything else strong in both body and spirit, and he wanted her as much as she dared to want him. She felt his hands on her back touching her and feeling the softness of her form against his, and yelped when he grabbed a handful of her hair tipping her head back and leaning to her mouth with intent. Her eyes absorbed him, watched his smoulder, before meeting him to press her lips to his when they came together.

Sesshomaru felt the connection between them as a life line, being with her meant that he did not have to become a tool for status, that he could escape and live in solitude, that he could let go of the anger that he'd held for so long to the feel of her lips against his.

Kagome felt the beating of her heart against his and moved her lips against his kissing him several times and feeling him growl against her before opening his mouth to touch her lips with his tongue and moving to her ear. Kagome gasped when he sucke the shell of her ear into his mouth and then groaned when her hands grasped his houri. He was consumed in the scent of her arousal. It was thick in the room and the longer he kissed her the less control he felt until he found himself panting against her, wanting to take her to the futon and delve into the things that he'd wanted for so long now.

When kagome laid down Sesshomaru was beside her, she grasped his arm when it came around and smiled when he pulled her to his chest. " Does this mean that we are...?" she asked and he brought his nose to her chin and breathed in deeply. He scented her passion for him, the want that things would be okay as long as they were together and he kissed her chin before pulling back.

" I am not a man that shares well, i cannot let you go." he said and kagome turned to face him and grasped the beads in her hand toying with them and making him look at her with some apprehension.

" Sesshomaru, you can come home...even if we are not bound." she whispered and began to drift to sleep. " Do you trust me?" she asked and yawned. He removed the beads from her hand and tucked them under his collar, she yawned again and put her head down on his arm that was propped under his own head she closed her eyes and fell asleep with him watching her silently.

" Yes." he said when she was asleep. He turned onto his back, disentangling himself from her grasp and pulling the beads out again to look at them. He'd spent hours looking at them over the last year, he thought of the bitterness, and the hatred they had initially caused. He had tried to kill her, to starve her to death and then torment her until she was near insane, he had done all of that to get away from her, and finally be able to go back to warring and fighting until death took him. There had been no other plan, but to live and die by his claws. He snorted at the turn of events and tuned back to kagome.

Kagome had reached out for him, shown him how people lived peaceful lives and the depth and riches of having people that loved him in his life, she had forced him out of his shell, helped him to relate to others and was constantly trying to get him to be better than his old self. He was glad for it, though it was annoying at times. He had never had anything but his own wants to think about, nothing but the pride and arrogance that drove him. She, she was different,and, he realized that he didn't have to be like her to love her for what she was. She was his. He could feel it and it was only made more true when she had reached back to him to comfort him finally as a mate would.

He had wanted to consume her, devour every ounce of passion she had for him, but reading her innocence and naivety he decided to wait, and found it rewarding when she did not want to be away from him, and though her heart raced in nervousness, she had asked him to stay with her until she was asleep. He had accepted, but like the night before could not tear himself away from her and was helpless to the longings of his heart.

The morning twilight came with a whisper. " Kagome….come to me." the voice said and she looked around. Sesshomaru was with her, laying next to her and watching her as she started. He leaned to her chin and inhaled looking for the tang of nightmare in her scent. He furrowed his brosw and kagome tried to get up.

"What are you doing?" he asked seeing that she was disoriented. She shook her head feeling the voice again and she looked out of the window.

" I heard something… a voice. Did you say something?" she asked and he frowned. Sesshomaru shook his head and kagome sighed wondering if she was going mad.

" Today we leave this city, it will do us some good." he said and coaxed her back to laying with him, he brought her to his chest and buried his nose in her hair making her shiver when he took in her scent.

"Why don't you run?" the voice asked and she was brought up short but the mental image of that great condor. His words echoed through her mind. " This demon is most dangerous." he said bringing her mind back to Sesshomaru's description of the creature.

 _Because i love him,_ She thought and turned her face into sesshomaru's neck trying to get heard the squawking of the great bird through the city and the cries that sounded like laughter reached the ears of all who listened. Kagome tried to steal her heart and ignore the laughter. What did it matter what a bird thought.

The party of travelers gathered at the fountain at the city square. Sesshomaru's mother was there doting on him and straightening his armour as she said her goodbyes. Kagome was surprised at the open shows of affection she showed him. " sesshomaru there was one thing that i wanted to mention while you were here… concerning your fathers swords." she started.

" Kagome has already informed me of father wishes." he said and his mother scoffed.

"... You knew he left you his weapon and have not asked about it?" she said surprised.

Sesshomaru thought for a moment in mock consideration. " No, i have no wish to be tied to him and any other way." he said and his mother reached out to stop him from turning from her.

" Sesshomaru, when you want it here is the map. I cannot make you take it, but i've always felt like it was your destiny to wield it. " She said and folded the map in his hands.

Sesshomaru handed the piece of scroll to kagome who looked at it and sighed before putting it in her packs. His mother watched this with unamused but sighed knowing that at least the girl might convince him to find it.

" Lord Sesshomaru! " Jakkens voice tore through the crowd and sesshomaru looked up to see him and shippo hastening toward them with Youkio and another cat. The other cat burned his nose with the scent of malice but he didn't expect anything more from a released prisoner, when the four caught up there was some mixed conversation and then the farewell and departure. Sesshomaru's mother leaned to him and kissed his forehead and smiling at him with a warm glow.

"When the child grows bring him to me so that i can see him." she asked and Sesshomaru nodded.

" I will bring him here." he answered and Kagome felt her breath catch at the realization that she might be dead long before she even sees Inuyasha. She made herself stop thinking about the cruelty of fate and was happy that he did have people in his life that would at least check on them from time to time.

Kagome felt the brush of mental energy against her and her eyes drifted to the bird cage, it wasn't too far from there and she could clearly see the creature. Kagome gasped and noticed that the cat demon that was with youkio a moment ago was now standing in front of the cage and peering up at it. He grasped the lock in his hand and Kagome could only watch helplessly as he unlocked the cage and flung the door open. There was a storm that lit over their heads and the clouds darkened around them.

The creature emerged from the cage and flapped his wings stretching them as he hadn't gotten to for six years. He looked at the crowd of inu and scooped a few up to crunch with his razor like beak he turned to regard Kagome and she could see him considering her. Sesshomaru stood in front of her then and growed drawing his blade and the creature spied him with hatred. Taking a step toward the gate of the city he spread his wings and soared over them out of the city and into the expanse of the never ending sky.

The inu were shaken, looking for the culprit when Youkio and his dark haired counterpart began to run from the city as fast as they could. Sesshomaru sighed and turned to leave too. He grabbed ahold of kagome's hand and lead her through the city blocks to the gate. She turned to motion for Shippo to jump into her arms and he grinned before flying into her arms.

" Lord Sesshomaru the city was most intriguing, i believe we should return, when it suits us." jakken said and Sesshomaru turned to look at his mother who stood watching him from afar, he could see her smile and was warmed by the feel of her acceptance. He nodded.

" We will be back." he said

The cats ran to the edge of the peaks of the great overhanging ledge and panted sighing their relief when they realized that they did get away. " Youkio, that was wild." ren said groaning, youkio hissed.

" Why did you realise that creature?" he demanded

" He asked me." Ren shrugged and Youkio growled and turned to his brother to bite him hard, the two began to wrestle and stumbled into Kagome when they flipped around, she stepped back from them and could not scold them herself before both creatures were dangling in sesshomaru's hands.

"There will be none of this." he said smacking their heads together. Youkio huffed and stood back from his brother.

" I will not fight with him." he said indignantly,

" You started it!" ren growled and began to leap at him again.

Sesshomaru stood at the edge of the ledge and looked down. He began to summon the power he had been storing but stopped when the dark haired cat begin to climb down. Youkio looked at him as though he were crazy and Sesshomaru didn't doubt the assessment. He took kagome and Shippo onto his back and began his own descent not wanting to be out done. Youkio stood at the top and refused to climb down. Ren looked up at his brother from the ground and laughed until Youkio was so enraged that he nearly leapt to the ground in his anger.

" we have to part ways lord Sesshomaru." Youkio said after a while, " if you need me i live in the den of Neko on the island to the most south of this land. I will answer any question and aide you in any way that you need. My brother is not someone i want to subject you to, and so here i must say good bye." he said making Shippo scoff. Youkio looked down at Shippo and winked.

When it was the four of them Sesshomaru began to look out into the distance and see the distance they would have to travel to get back to the priestesses home. " Kagome, come." he said and reached his hand out to her she took it and stepped close to him when he pulled her. Shippo watched with some amazement when he called the cloud beneath his feet and beckoned him onto it.

The wind rushed past their ears and Kagome had to turn her face onto sesshomaru's shoulder while they traveled. When she could, she looked down at the valley and the villages beneath them. She gasped when she saw the mountain within sight and shrieked when they descended to through the trees to step onto the the forest floor.

Shippo looked around excitedly, Kagome was grinning, jumping around and making the demons smile at her antics. She looked around trying to figure out which way to go when Sesshomaru stopped her and turned her to the right direction. She ran.

Kagome could see the approaching pathway and once her feet were on it she flew to the place where she could hear her sister singing. She stopped at the edge of the treeline and looked at sesshomaru, he nodded to her and she passed the barrier into the small yard.

" kikyou!" she called and her twin jumped up from tending the garden to look at her. Kikyou looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Kagome ran to her and embraced her not able to hold back the tears.

" mother?" a small voice called from the hut. Kagome looked up and saw inuyasha staring out at her, he was wide eyes and wanting to come to her, kagome stepped back from her sister and went to inuyasha waiting for him to approach her. She watched his nose twitch taking in her scent, he eyed her knowing that something was different but unable to detect what it was. He went to her and when she scooped him up he placed his nose on her neck and whined. " you smell like…" he tried and kagome gasped.

" you can talk?" she asked and he nodded at her. She looked at the child that was barely a year and began to cry tears of happiness and bitterness. " do you know my name?" she asked and he nodded.

" you are mother." he said as she hugged him tightly. Inuyasha gippeda fistfull of her hair and put it under his nose. Kikyou watched with a glowing smile and thanked the kami that Kagome was finally home.

Sesshomaru watched them from a distance and scented the love she had fro the pup, she was beautiful in that moment, timeless and he leaned forward to see her more clearly through the forest. Shippo mimicked him but instead of holding back from it, he fell into and screamed when the barriers magic burned him back.

Kagome gasped and looked at Kikyou who stared into the forest with irritation " you brought him back with you?" she asked exasperated and Kagome started to say something when Shippo called out to her. Kikyou snapped her eyes to her twin and dark eyes examined her guilty face and she sighed. " another one?" she asked and Kagome shrugged.

" Kikyou we have to take down the barrier."she said and Kikyou laughed outright.

" No, i don't want that monster killing Inuyasha." she said as kagome began to get upset.

" He's not going to kill him! Besides, there is a lot of things that happened while i was away." she said and went to the barrier with inuyasha in tow. Kikyou ran after her and tried to fight her when Kagome grabbed the barrier and ripped it down and away several feet around her.

Shippo stumbled forward and rubbed his head wearily he stopped and looked up at twin faces that stared down at him and sniffed the two women. " wow Kagome your sister could be your twin." he said and Kikyou snorted. He looked at the infant in her arms and peered back at Sesshomaru who stood now back from them into the shadows.

" You have brought another child then?" Kikyo asked and began to look around for the terror she remembered. She spotted the demon leaning against an old cedar watching and looked at him questioningly. " you demon" she said and Sesshomaru's eyes met hers with indifference. " You brought my sister home safely… Thank you." she said stiffly though all could tell she still didn't like him.

" I have fulfilled my agreement." he said and retreated into the forest. Kikyou watched him walk away and turned back to her sister to see her staring after him. Kikyou's eyes were opened and she cursed ever letting him take her with him.

Inuyasha looked at the demon walking away from them and struggled to free himself from Kagome's arms, kagome felt him begin to struggle and saw him looking after Sesshomaru with longing she set him on his feet and he thanked her before running as fast as he could to catch up with him.

. " Wait." he called to the demon male and nearly ran into him when he did stop. When sesshomaru turned inuyasha felt the weight of his hard stare and whimpered. " you are like me." he said sna pointed at his ears and then at his nose. " I can tell we are…. Family." he said using human terms. Sesshomaru looked down at him and saw the similarities between them. They shared their father's eyes, his darker, but the fact that they were brothers was undeniable, except for the taint of human blood warring with the scent of their fathers.

" Go back to the woman, she will take care of you." he said knowing that it was the child's instinct to follow him. He had wanted to follow his father too, when he could feel the strength of his aura and want that power for himself. He turned back from the boy and felt him grab ahold of his hakima. Sesshomaru thought of the moment he had tried to stop his father from walking away from him the first time, he had felt the force of his father's boot. He stopped, and looked down.

Kikyou watched with kagome holding her arm from stopping them, she looked back at her sister and kagome smiled. " They are not like us. He needs to be able to see him when he wants. He promised to wait and after what we have been through i believe him." Kagome said.

Kikyou groaned and looked at her sister telling her that she did not approve but knowing kagome, she was already in too far to stop her, and she could see that she was lost to the demon. She looked at him and could only see the demon that had tormented them, she saw Inuyasha trying to hold him back and the interaction between them but he could still be lying.

" What are you worried about?" Shippo asked and jumped up onto Kikyou's shoulder. Kikyou pushed him off and stepped away from him. Shippo looked wounded but kagome bent down to run her fingers through his hair

" I don't want that demon to kill Inuyasha." she said and Inuyasha looked back at her confused.

Inuyasha didn't understand why his mother was worried. There was a pact in place between them. He smelled the power, smelled the blood and bond that was now in place between him and his mother. He smelled the ties between human and demon and thought of himself and knew that his mother was wrong, he was not going to be killed.

Sesshomaru looked at the human priestess and remembered why he had enjoyed tormenting her. He bent to the child and picked him up by the back of his robe and brought him to his level. Kikyou made a motion to protest, but she was ignored.

Sesshomaru felt the child's pleasure at being acknowledged and leaned out of the grasping hands that went to touch his face. He stilled him and drew in the scent and set him down. " you are feeding him too much vegetation." he said and jumped into a tree, moving from there to a place where he could finally relax from his traveling.

Kikyou ran to Inuyasha and scooped him up. Shippo followed after her and jumped up to sniff inuyasha but she brushed him away. " Hey lady i'm just saying hi" he said and Kikyou shook her head.

" You can say hello from there, i don't trust demons. Prove to me that you are safe to be around, and i will consider-" Kikyou began to lecture shippo and he turned his eyes to kagome.

" Kikyou, stop being a bully, Shippo is a child, and he won't hurt Inuyasha. Neither will Sesshomaru, now that we are back i think things are going to be a lot easier….. if you would only learn to accept them as they are." she said as Kikyou nearly screamed her frustration.

" You cannot tell me you've forgotten everything, just because he's been nice to you for a month, he is the same demon that terrorized us and nearly killed you. Don't tell me im not reasonable when you are the one who keeps bringing all of this trouble on us. We have Inuyasha, i love him and i don't want him to be hurt, but Kagome that demon wants to kill him-" she said and Inuyasha pulled on her robe " not now inuyasha," she said brushing him aside.

" But, he doesn't want to kill me. We are family." he said whining and throwing himself at the priestesses legs. He wanted to be heard and his guardian was not looking at him. He tried to show his anger with cries and still got no consideration from the woman he was railing against.

Kagome bent to pick him up and Inuyasha clung to her like a lifeline " Inuyasha i know, Kikyou will understand. Sooner or later." she said as Kikyou groaned and began to walk back to the hut.

" This was supposed to be a good day kagome. I want that demon to go away. I don't want him any where near inuyasha." she said as inuyasha looked at Kagome wounded.

" Shh. I know she's mad but she will get over it." she said and looked at Shippo

" Kagome, she looks like you, but she doesn't act like you, at all." Shippo said and Kagome sighed. She ran her fingers through Inuyasha's hair and kissed his temple making him smile and put his nose to her chin.

Kagome walked back to her hut with Shippo and Inuyasha, she saw Kikyou sulking, she was laying across the furs and looking up at the ceiling she sat up when Kagome opened the door and regarded the fox kit. " Hey little fox, i don't mind you being here. As long as you aren't going to cause trouble." she said and Kagome frowned

" I won't cause trouble, i might scare you because i think it's funny." he said cheekily and Kagome smiled. Kikyou looked at him and snorted again.

" You are funny, little fox." she said and shippo went to her.

" My name is shippo…. Are you Kikyou?" he asked and Kikyou nodded. She smiled and withdrew an herb he had picked in the forest, " you need this for the potion you're making, i can smell it." he said and kikyo's eyes widened and she grabbed the root and looked at it carefully.

" This is rare, i could not find this when i looked." she said and smiled at the demon. " shippo, i have some things i'm working on…. How well does your nose work when the herbs are dried." she asked and shippo grinned.

The night came with mixed emotions for Kagome, she sat at the window and watched the trees and sky and thought of her demon, she recalled sitting in this spot many times before to think about him. She could feel their bond and knew that he was far away from the hut.

Looking around she saw Kikyou sleeping with inuyasha laying across her chest and snoring softly. She smiled and noticed that shippo too was sleeping against her and she could almost feel the love kikyou had for the two smaller demons. " and you pretend not to like demons… i know you kikyou, you just don't like change." she said though she knew her sister was unable to hear her.

Kagome felt something missing in her heart as she sat awake through the night, she was restless, still replaying the things of her adventure, wanting to finally be able to come home mentally after being away for so long. She had missed kikyou, had missed the balance of having her and getting her advice about staying out of trouble, but it was also something that had always irritated her about her sister. They truly were like fire and water,

Kagome was curious, emotional and wanting to help everyone that she could. Like water, she flowed easily from one place to the next, both physically and mentally drifting, and not set on one path or one lifestyle but the one that allows her freedom. Kikyou was a stickler for etiquette and procedure, it took her time to change direction or to open her heart and she did not like to yield easily, like a raging inferno devouring all in her path.

Looking at her guiltily Kagome stood and went to the door, she missed Sesshomaru, wanted to see him after all day of being apart and knew that Kikyou did not understand or approve. Kagome thought about the nights spent together in passion and she felt the warmth of it to her core, making the decision she opened the door quietly and walked barefoot across the grass and to the tree line. Kagome heard the bay of coyote and the rustle of animals in the forest and wondered when they had all come back. She had recalled the silence of the forest and the feel of sesshomaru's anger, now though she felt the calm of night and heard only the quiet movement of the creatures that stayed just out of sight.

" Sesshomaru." she called and felt him close. Kagome turned around to look for any sign of his white robes and saw nothing. She told herself how stupid she was being fro coming out here and asked herself why would he even want to see her after being together for so long. " he probably wants a break from me." she said and turned to leave the forest.

" Not quite." he said when she ran into him. Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome to him and put his nose in her hair wanting the scent of her need of affection himself. He growled playfully and Kagome smiled when he nipped her ear. " why have you come." he asked though he knew the answer. She was lonely, he could scent the emotion on her and had to admit that he had been used to being with her too.

" I wanted to see you and apologize for Kikyou," she said and Sesshomaru shook his head.

" I have earned her scorn," he said and Kagome frowned, making Sesshomaru want to take it away " do not worry about me, i have faired worse." he said and brought her head back to his chest and using a calming scent to try and take the edge off of her bitterness. To his surprise Kagome sighed and inhaled his scent deeply before nodding and leaning up to kiss his chin and put her arms around his neck moulding her form to his and basking in the feel of his affection.

" Sesshomaru, i-" she began to ask him to let her stay with him, but felt the silliness of that question before she could finish it and started to feel the insecurities of her innocence.

When Kagome stopped speaking her scent filled Sesshomaru's entire being and he nodded knowing she wanted to be with him. He was relieved, not wanting to watch her walk away from him yet and scooped her up. Sesshomaru jumped up to the branch he had been resting on and settled back against the trunk and sitting down with her still against him. Kagome grasped him and looked down frightened but he only brought her head back to his shoulder and place his nose above her ear, stilling her and making her scent spike with the desire that lit through her. Kagome smiled and leaned to kiss him, gently moving her lips against his and feeling his response.

" Stay with me." he asked and Kagome nodded.

Kikyou woke up with a start and looked for kagome, seeing that she was gone, Kikyou began to panick. " Mother what are you doing?" Inuyasha asked making Kikyou turn around in frustration. The fox kit continued to sleep, rolling over when the priestess got up and making a nest for himself

" Where is Kagome?" she asked and inuyasha sniffed for a moment and then picked up his little finger and pointed toward the forest. Kikyou thought for a moment and grabbed inuyasha and looked at him unsettled. " Show me." she said and took Inuyasha out into the forest. Kikyou hoped that she want with the demon, but somehow she suspected she was, recalling the look in her eyes when she watched him walk away. Kikyou cursed herself for not going with them. "Kagome…... demon if you touch my sister, i will purify you into the next realm."

 **AN: you thought they were going to catch a break. lol not yet, im only just getting started. there will be plenty more adventure and characters coming soon!**


	23. what more?

**AN:Sorry for the earlier chapter 23 update i went back and fixed a lot of the issues with missing words, random capitalizations and missing transitions. Sorry. anyway, here you go!**

 **i do not own inuyasha**

Jakken watched the twins from the bushes as they interacted with the smaller demons, he had decided to keep his presence hidden from the dark eyed priestess, and as his people naturally melded in with the forest, no one could find him even when they searched. It had been a month of unacceptable behavior towards his master, he had seen the priestess take the child into the forest looking for Lord Sesshomaru and his lover, Jakken knew what their bickering and longing looks at one another looked like, and so he was wary to follow her, but, regretted it when he heard the commotion and the cries of the inu child. Since then, It had only digressed, he sighed..

Jakken watched the dark eyed priestess with loathing, she was exactly what he hated about humans, always trying to make demons into humans, and ignore their own ways. Well, he wasn't going to be subjected to the priestesses madness, he would be sure of it or he would renounce his position as retainer to this magnificent being, he'd rather die first.

He was helpless, wanting to commit all kinds of atrocities toward the priestess but was commanded to refrain even from entering her line of sight " ...but Lord Sesshomaru, the curse is only for your lover, her sister could be easily killed if you wished it, i have several plans in place already that may lead to her demise." Jakken said as he watched his master, high above him standing on the branches of a tall cedar.

" if i killed the woman, or allowed her to be harmed, Kagome would never speak to me, Jakken," he said. " she is… a nuisance but i will not loose kagome because of your meddling."

" my Lord, the priestess is railing against you and the human being together, i can't believe the nerve of that woman trying to purify you!" he said outraged. He picked up a rock and threw it into a puddle that was gathered at the base of the cedar his lord was perched on. He sat at the base of the tree and began to examine the intricate etchwork on his staff.

" she cannot purify me without the help of Kagome, and i am more powerful than i was by three times, i will not worry about it, soon this will all just be a memory anyway." he said bitterly and Jakken was perplexed, not knowing what to do. And he began to get angry all over again.

" Why are we still here?" he asked after a few moments of silence. He wanted to know what they were doing playing in the forest when he had the power of a kami at his fingertips, he didn't dare think that his master was now too weak mentally to continue fighting, but he could see the stress of the women's games taking its toll on his concentration.

" I am here because i want Kagome." he said and Jakken sighed.

" We couldn't take her with us could we? She's not much of a burden, so long as she makes you happy." Jakken said and Sesshomaru thought carefully about the last month. He'd been everything but happy, except for the time he and Kagome spent together. He hated the fact that the pup was constantly escaping to visit him, he had no desire to be around his brother, and then to make his experience more annoying the dark eyed priestess was always running after him and testing the edge of his restraint with every breath.

Kagome tried to intercede for him, to make things work between them and even tried to pacify his anger and irritation, but Kikyou would not hear her and he would not bend, she was to the point that Kikyou tried to intercept them at every opportunity and begun to put charms and sutras in places that she suspected they might try to go to be alone. As a result of her meddling they had not truly been alone since the first night back.

Watching her from afar was his only vice at the moment, he was angry and he could feel Kagome's depression from where he stood, she wanted him, she wanted to be with him but, she was unable to escape without the attention of her sister who imitated a child's tantrum until kagome was so disgusted she gave up. Sesshomaru was beginning to hate the other priestess with a passion he had never imagined possible. He hated her for being kept back from his mate, being held away from her body and unable to hear her voice or take in her scent. How dare she take precious time from him when her life was fleeing from them even as he stood there watching her get used to being away from him again. I can't let her go, he thought and glared at the dark eyed priestess who made it clear that he was not welcome.

In front of the small hut, Kagome knelt beside her sister tending the garden. Inuyasha playing in the hut with shippo and she could hear them bickering and shippo's imitation of sesshomaru lecturing him, she smiled when he answered the fox with gales of laughter and an accusation of being silly, she was amazed at how fast he was learning, every day he seemed to understand more and more. He mainly mimicked words he heard the woman use and tried to reuse them in his own purposes. He was beginning to ask questions and point out things he recognized much to her surprise and delight.

When more than an hour had passed in silence kagome searched for something to break the ice, she decided to sing softly and tried to recall the things she needed to get from the village, she had recounted several things they needed and was almost ready to leave. " it will be the first time i've been in the village since we got here." she commented offhandedly.

Kikyou huffed she looked at her sister and saw her eyes drift to the forest, kikyou frowned and looked up to where she felt the demons eyes, he was always watching them now, she hated it, "yeah... but taking that demon anywhere near a village would be a nightmare. I'll go with you." she said and Kagome sighed.

" You don't have to, I can manage a trip into the village, I'll even take Inuyasha and we can spend some time together." she suggested but Kikyou shook her head. Kagome was starting to be really annoyed with her sister, she understood why she didn't like sesshomaru, he had tortured them for almost a half year without ceasing, he was violent and ill tempered unless given a reason not to be, but she had seen him, first hand, make the decision to change and she was sincere in her want to help him to be so much more than a tool of war.

" Too dangerous, what if that demon shows up." she said and Kagome shook her head.

"He can't hurt me, he won't."Kagome was tired of this fight. She loved her sister and hated that she was so unhappy, but she also wanted to see Sesshomaru. She was missing him more then she let her sister know, her dreams and thoughts were filled with him, she wanted to walk to him right now, as she felt his eyes on her and stopped herself for the sake of keeping her relationship with her sister, she was hoping to get her around him enough for her to recognize for herself, but she was unyielding.

"But he will. He may not rip you apart like he threatened before, but Kagome he's a demon. You and he will always live in two different worlds and you will never be able to bridge that gap."Kikyou said not even trying to entertain the idea of them being together. She closed her mind to the fight and hoped that by keeping them apart kagome would move on from this phase.

Shippo and inuyasha had been quiet for far too long and when kagome leaned her ear to listen for them she heard Inuyasha crying and was relieved to have the distraction from her sisters tirade. She went into the Hut and closed her eyes pressing her back to the door. Taking a breath to calm herself she looked for Inuyasha and saw that he was sitting in the middle of the hut bawling for no reason that she could see. She looked at shippo and he just shrugged at her and gestured toward Kikyou.

"Mother, I want to see him. Take me to demon." he said and got up " mother won't let me go…. See." he said and pulled the Sutra that was pinned to his shirt. "it burns." he whined.

Kagome was instantly enraged. She grabbed Inuyasha and pulled the paper from his houri. Picking him up, Kagome was beyond words and had to catch her breath before confronting her sister, Inuyasha saw her distress and tried to comfort her, which only served to make her more angry.

Kagome went out to the garden and Kikyou frowned seeing the sutra gone and kagome enraged. " I was trying to keep him in." she said and Kagome stopped her, raising her hand to sign that she didn't want to hear it.

" Kikyou, I want you to stop trying to control everything. Inuyasha is a child, he does not deserve being treated like a monster because you don't want to face the fact that he's half demon. He wants Sesshomaru around him. Frankly I want him around too, but you are so controlling you won't let us be together….. Well I've had enough. I never want Inuyasha to be bound by a curse or charm or sutra ever! And I demand that we take down ALL of the Sutra's and charms and that you stop trying to make me be YOU. I am not you."Kagome was fuming, panting from the anger that was boiling inside of her.

"Kagome! You can't be serious!" she said and began to dismiss her but Kagome was not even listening. Kikyou felt the dread of chasing her only family member away and tried to call her back. Kagome kept walking.

She turned from the yard and began to dispel everything in her path with both rage and bitterness. She felt the commotion in the forest as sesshomaru approached. He had been angry for so long the feel of his anger turn to hope almost made her smile. Kagome thought the lengths to which Kikyou went to prevent contact between them was incredible as she tore away charms and hexes that barred her from her demon, " Inuyasha, is this the last one?" she asked and the inu boy looked around, sniffing for the scent. He was happy that the irritating charms and hexes were gone and began to feel better then he had in weeks.

She looked around and waited for a response from inuyasha but it was not him that drew her attention to the last ones. " there are two more, human." Kagome heard Jakken's voice and was surprised that the toad was even still around.

"Jakken? Where are they?" she asked and looked around for the toad and was blind to him through the foliage.

"There." Inuyasha pointed and laughed. When he saw the creature he wanted down to investigate. He tipped his head to the side and kagome laughed when his ears twitched and he jumped back from him pointing a little claw at jakken. " mother…..cat." he said and Kagome laughed as Jakken huffed indignantly.

" I am not a cat you mutt." Jakken hissed and Inuyasha shook his head

" cat." he said pointing to his ears.

" Jakken he's just over a year everything is a cat to him….. he likes the one from the village and so he calls every new creature a cat." she explained as she grasped the string of beaded hexes from the forest floor.

Smelling the intimidating aura inuyasha felt the greatness of power and smiled " Demon!" Inuyasha pointed out into the forest, making Kagome look up with excitement. She grinned when Sesshomaru walked through the trees and met her. He grasped her upper arms and pulled her into an embrace that left her dizzy from lack of oxygen. Inuyasha ran over and wanted to be apart of the scent of affection and went to Kagome pulling at her hakima and whining to be picked up.

Sesshomaru snapped a warning and turned Kagome from him, making Inuyasha cry out and try again. "he just wants to be with us." Kagome said not understanding why he would turn him away.

" He has had you. I want you now. " he said before descending into a kiss and taking her breath away. Inuyasha whimpered and sat down looking at the back of the large demon and crying at the unfairness of his exclusion. Kagome heard Inuyasha crying g and pulled away from Sesshomaru and tried to get around him. He growled and held her against him. "He will be fine." he growled and felt the frustration of the last few weeks on him as a fire burning in his soul.

"He's crying. He wants our attention….He has been looking forward to seeing you all day." she felt like she was talking to a wall. He looked at her blankly, trying to find a reason to care when Kagome began to pull away from him with irritation.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he said not understanding why she was stopping him now. He had her, felt her against him, and everything in him told him not to let her go until he had immersed himself fully into the pleasures he had been dreaming about since declaring his intentions to her. She had accepted him, it should be simple that they would now begin to leave the things of their old life behind and become one with each other. .

" Sesshomaru, I want you to care about him. He loves you." she said and began to get angry at his cavalier attitude towards the child.

" I promised not to kill him. Isn't that enough." he said getting irritated.

Kagome shook her head. "No." she said and made it clear that she wanted him to let her go. He didn't, couldn't. Each time she tried to escape he brought her back to his chest and buried his nose in her hair trying to pacify her anger with the scent of his need for her. He saw her blush, and was amazed again when she reacted to his scent but still did not stop her efforts. " I have to be with someone that will accept Inuyasha. I cannot continue to try and make him into something he's not…. Sesshomaru we can't be together if you cannot accept him" . She said making up her mind for the sake of the child she swore to take in.

He was not able to cope with the emotion that tore through him. "He is a child he can wait until I am done, you cannot be rid of me. I cannot let you go." he growled and gripped a handful of Kagome hair wrenching her head back and biting down on her shoulder. " I won't let you go." he vowed and Kagome felt a chill at his words.

He calmed himself down, physically making himself take breaths until the red haze had faded. When he was calm enough, he could see that she was heartbroken with him and let go like he had been splashed with cold water. He was ashamed that his temper had gotten the better of him again with her but the thought of her leaving him was unacceptable, he would never allow her to leave him, he would not go back to his old life and be left again in darkness.

Kagome did not want to end things with Sesshomaru, she had missed him and wanted him to be around, but the blatant disregard for his brother made her rethink the longing she felt for him. When he let her go finally she stepped back and felt both dread and bitterness that another man In her life was going to treat Inuyasha as if he were just a side note. She was angry, she had wanted this to be different, and the ache in her heart was making it hard to do what she needed to in order to raise the child, that even now cried for her attention.

Inuyasha raised his arms when she leaned to grab him and put his nose on the place where Sesshomaru had bitten her. It was on the scar that marked their curse and she felt the truth of it to her core. We are connected. She thought and began to walk back to the hut.

"Kagome do not leave. I cannot let you go." he said as a plea.

She turned hearing the desperation in his voice " I don't want to leave you, but I cannot let Inuyasha go to be with you, tell me that you will attempt to get along with him, for me.". She pleaded with him and he felt the growl and tried to keep it from his voice.

" I will…. Try." he said as though it was physically painful to utter such a ridiculous statement. He went to her and tried to ignore the child when he took Kagome in his arms and tipped her head back to press his lips to hers. He wanted the boy to go away, so he could have her finally to himself.

Though she could feel his hesitance she tried to have patience, knowing that he was making an attempt, though he really didn't want to. Kagome sighed thinking that her sister wanted everyone but Sesshomaru to be around, and Sesshomaru wanted no one but her around.

Inuyasha knew he wasn't wanted, and was confused by the scent of the demons want for his mother. The scent reminded him of family, and wanted there to be a place for him where his mother was. The demons eyes found him when he pulled back from Kagome and Inuyasha whimpered and tried to coax the demon to show him some of that affection with the scent he used to make his mothers pay attention to him. Amber and golden eyes met and inuyasha saw unyielding dislike that made him sad. Inuyasha reached out for him and tried to make peace.

Sesshomaru knew the boy was trying to bond with him, but he was not the child's father and held no incentive to accept the bond. Kagome was looking at him, expecting him to react to the boys nudging. He grunted and Inuyasha yelped and hid his face in Kagome's' shoulder.

Kagome shook her head at him annoyed and began to walk away again. " I'm going to the village." she said and walked back through the forest to the road to the village. Sesshomaru followed her from a distance, growling under his breath at the frustration he was feeling. She was finally within grasp and all she wanted to do was tote around his father's digression. He pushed aside the hormones that battered at him and glared at the back of the child's head. He

Kikyou say Kagome walk toward the village and tried to call her back, but Kagome glared at her twin, and marched down the path with the demon following her, skulking from tree to tree behind her. Inuyasha waved good bye and blew her a kiss.

"She is really mad." Kikyou said in wonder and saw the demon look back at her with resentment. She glared at him and he turned away unaffected.

Kagome tried to ignore the nagging feeling that Sesshomaru was right behind her. Inuyasha was looking around singing which was bringing her mood up a lot soon she tried to put behind her the pettiness of her sister and who she was hesitantly calling her boyfriend. She blushed and Inuyasha turned to her

" Mother, why do you smell like demon" he said and leaned to her to sniff her.

" I would imagine it is because Sesshomaru was holding me….. I can't smell anything but he says that demons can." she answered honestly and he seemed to consider her looked down at his clawed fingers and then at his mother's blunt nails.

" I- demon?" he asked not sure if that applied to him. She nodded and he frowned.

" but Mother does not like demons….. does Mother not like me too?" he asked and Kagome was reminded of her anger.

" She is just being foolish right now, she doesn't mean what she's saying. She just doesn't want me to leave her behind to be with demonkind, which is silly. But I love you, and when he's being extra nice I like Sesshomaru too." she huffed the last part and felt Sesshomaru pause in his pursuit of her before continuing.

"Sess-" Inuyasha tried to pronounce his brothers name but his attempts only served to make Kagome giggle.

"let's try your name. Inu-ya-sha." she had his attention and he watched her say his name as if it were the most important thing in the world.

" In...in..u….Ya" he practiced and Kagome helped him as they began to descend into the village outskirts. The villagers were used to the sight of the priestess with the white haired infant and so they continued working after a brief nod and hello from Kagome.

Inuyasha wanted down when they got to the village and Kagome let him down to walk beside her. People stared at him out of the corner of their eye. She saw the curiosity and could not blame them. He was different than any creature demon or human then even she had seen. He was obviously not human with his inu ears and sharp fangs, but he played and danced around as if he were any other child.

Kagome was greeted though she had only been to the village a few times and smiled as if it were the first time meeting them, which confused Several people who probably didn't realize that Kikyou was a twin. There were few who looked at her with expectation and she bowed and hastened on, until a priest who walked past her grabbed her arm and looked at Inuyasha with some curiosity.

" Kikyou, where is Inuyasha's hat. You realize his ears Are about right…. People will know he's a demon." the man said and Kagome raised her eyebrow.

" …..and the claws and white hair isn't a give away.."Kagome looked at him like he was completely stupid. The man was taken aback by her attitude and considered her again.

"Than you must be Kagome. We have not met, but I have heard a lot about you from my assistant and your sister…. I must say the resemblance is uncanny… I can see the difference in your eyes…. As well as your manner but anyways…." he said and realized that he truly didn't know and was not Impressing the woman in front of him. He thought back to the conversation he and kikyou had had about her days before and nodded feeling as if her fears were confirmed.

Inuyasha looked at the priest and sniffed him. There was something off about him. But ,the more he tried to Investigate it the less he wanted to be near him, until the man hastened away altogether. Kagome knelt to Inuyasha and brushed back his bangs making him look up at her, she saw that he was upset and she tried to comfort him. " I was just saying hi. " he said mimicking Shippo and making Kagome smile.

" it's okay to say hello." she said not trying to discourage him from his natural instincts. He leaned to kiss her and then walked on into the village chasing after a butterfly and making Kagome wait for him while he investigated it. " let's go Inuyasha we have to do some shopping while we are here." she said and he looked up at her and whimpered, wanting to play. " let's go." she said putting g her foot down.

Inuyasha looked as if she had struck him, and looked back at the butterfly with longing. He saw her reach for him and jerked back wanting to stay on his feet, but felt the threat of the older inus scent from above them, looking up he saw him leaning over the edge of a cloud threatening him with his eyes and he submitted to the will of his mother, who picked him up and held him even when he covered his eyes and bitterly whimpered.

Kagome had never been witness to such good behavior from him, after the first episode he had done a reversal and was extremely polite as he dealt with the villagers and followed after her. " don't you want to play? She asked him when he saw some bigger kids playing she held his hand as he watched them and though they might still be too old to play with him. She looked down at the top of his white head and saw that he was looking out at the children with longing as much as the butterfly. Turning to her she shook his head.

" mother says it will be a while before they want to play with me." he said and Kagome began to get annoyed again she finished her shopping and was almost to the village gate again when she heard her name being called. She turned and saw Hojo hastening towards her. Kagome didn't know where but she felt sesshomaru's eyes on her and she sighed with the mixed feelings toward the healer, she didn't hate him, but right now was not a great time to talk. Inuyasha looked at him and raised his hand for a piece of candy. Hojo fumbled through his pocket and got him out a piece as he was saying hello to her.

Kagome looked at the healer with some shame. " oh Hojo, so nice to see you…. Are you well?" she asked not wanting to ask about weather he recovered well from his strangling.

Hojo blushed but nodded, he tried to keep the resentment from his voice but could not help but recall the way she had stopped him, by taking hold of him as if he were her lover. " I will live, past the effects that demon left on me, if that's what you're asking. I was going to ask you if you've managed to get rid of him yet?" Hojo asked and Kagome saw Inuyasha lookup. She didn't dare let her eyes drift, hoping he didn't feel the murderous hatred that was directed at him now..

" he's around, I haven't broken the binding curse but, he can go wherever he wants to at this point." she said and Hojo peered around as if the demons might jump out from behind a building to strangle him again, kagome tried to reassure him that he wasn't in danger but the healer hushed his voice and took her hand in his to to lean close and whisper to her urgently, .

"Kagome, i didn't want to mention this before, but it seems as if the demon is interested in you. I want you to know that it you ever need our help, the shrine and everyone with power is aware of your situation and we are ready to fight him….. I was telling my master what he was like, and there was a case last year of a demon with his same description, tearing the country side apart. I would hate for you to be hurt by him, i could not stand it Kagome. I want you to know that i still feel strongly about you…. If you ever would accept me as your lover, i would be so good to you." he said taking her hands in his. Kagome removed herself from his grasp altogether and stepped back from him, she did not need to look up to know that Sesshomaru's attention was on them now and he was far from pleased. She recalled the pain of the curse and did not want to tempt fate after he'd been doing so well.

" Hojo, i appreciate what you are doing, but you don't have to worry about the demon hurting me, i am confidant that he won't. Thanks anyway." she said and turned. Inuyasha looked up at the priest with confusion. The scent from that human was different than what his face revealed. Inuyasha saw that he was surprised, and on the surface he seemed okay with what happened, But, he could scent the hatred emanating from the healer, and looked back at him a few seconds longer after Kagome had started leading him home.

" Mother, do you smell that?" he asked and she sniffed a few times and he hoped that she did but she shook her head. Inuyasha looked ahead of them and ran to Sesshomaru's when he landed ahead of them. Kagome sighed when she saw him and it only served to make him in more of a foul mood.

"That dirty human had his hands all over you…. I should." he started but Kagome gave him a look that meant she didn't want him to do anything about it. Inuyasha peered up at the demon and tried to say his name.

" Sessho- do you smell?" he asked making no sense but trying to urge the demon into considering his words. Sesshomaru growled a string of concepts ot the boy and he responded in kind. Sesshomaru was surprised when the child began to notify him of the scent of malice on the healer, Sesshomaru considered the child and his instincts to protect Kagome and felt a sense of anticipation for the fight they would one day have. He was young, spoiled by the women, but he was observant, and with the little knowledge he had about their kind he still brought his fear to the alpha of the pack. " Smell him-" he tried and Sesshomaru corrected him again and tried to make him use the natural speech of their kind. Inuyasha growled to him in effort and he nodded.

" Inuyasha, takes Kagome home" he said aloud after telling Inuyasha the same in their own speech. He nodded and grabbed Kagome's hand and began to pull her to the hut.

" Wait." she said and the demon males stopped. " you can talk to Inuyasha?" she said amazed.

"Inu children can speak from birth, we use the natural language of our kind which is imbedded in instinct, he has adapted human speech in order to be heard by you, who cannot understand him, i am able not only to talk to him, but understand what he has to say.." Sesshomaru said trying to pacify her previous anger. She nodded storing this information as useful.

" Well what did he say?" she asked and Sesshomaru looked at her like he didn't want to say it. "what, it couldn't be that bad?" she said and he looked at her with scepticism.

"He says that the healer is trouble and that he doesn't trust him, more so that he smells of deceit and….. Lust." he said and Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"Oh really, is that what he said, or is that what you said!" she accused him and began to walk back home. Sesshomaru held back the sigh, but Inuyasha began to whimper. " Inuyasha, do you like Hojo?" she asked and Inuyasha shook his head.

" No." he said and crossed his arms. He peeked up at his mother to see if she was upset and Kagome was looking down at him.

"Why?" she knelt and Inuyasha grabbed on to her to let her pick him up.

" He smells….. bad." he said and Kagome smiled.

"You don't have to be around him." she said and kissed his temple.

" I don't want him around you." Sesshomaru said with nodded.

" i don't think he is dangerous, though he was acting kind of off today." she admitted and Sesshomaru grunted thinking that was an understatement. She reached for him and grasped his hand in hers. Inuyasha looked down at their linked hands and then up at the demon who looked down on his mother with wanting clear in his features. He glanced back at his mother and she was smiling and he could pick up the scent of family once more and snuggled into her feeling as if it were all for him. Inuyasha reached out to the demon and was pleased when the demon did not push him away. Looping his fingers in the collar of his houri and pulling, the two closed the distance between them in a kiss. Inuyasha smiled thinking that it was best if they were together so demon could be around him more often.

Inuyasha thought on the demon for hours after he and his mother went back home. His other mother came to him, and took him once more after they had a few words and he had been made to stay inside while they shouted at one another. He whimpered and looked to the red haired male who lazed under the window sill in the sunlight. He went to him and tried to get him to play.

" Inuyasha, go away." he brushed the boy aside and Inuyasha felt heartbroken. He went to the door and peeked outside to his mother's arguing. Thie attention was on everything but him and so he went out and began to look around for the demon, spotting him in a tree Inuyasha went to it and stood at the base and howled. He keened until a growl met his ears and he grinned when the demon looked down at him. "Demon." he raised his arms.

Kagome was tired of her sister's attitude, they had it out about her controlling everything, and then about her making Inuyasha into a human and not letting him be what he is. In all of that time, Kikyou did not accept any of it, and argued that she did not believe that he was all demon and he needed to nurture his human side threw her hands up in frustration. " Kikyou we are adults, if it bothers you so much to be around the demons, why didn't you leave me when i adopted Inuyasha? I gave you the option, and you told me no. i don't know why you are so angry that we have demons around us now."Kagome yelled not understanding.

" It's not the rest of the demons, it's him. I don't want you around him." she said angrily.

"You don't even know him, he's a good man."Kagome urged and Kikyou scoffed.

" Every man is good when they are your lover, you are blind to your passions and cannot see him for what he really is….. He's a monster." Kikyou replied and Kagome gasped.

" You don't know anything about him, and we aren't having sex either! You don't know what he's been through or what he's had to live with that made him that way. Hes changed alot in the last year and even more in the last month. I love him, he is someone who deserves love and he loves me too. Kikyou, i won't give that up because you are afraid to let me live my life." she said trying to make Kikyou open her eyes. Kikyou started at the last comment and frowned.

" I- i don't, not want you to live your life….. And I can see there is a difference but ….Kagome how do you know that is is truly safe to be around. He wanted to kill Inuyasha for so long how do you know that he isn't just waiting for you to trust him enough to take off the binding curse and then be rid of all of us." she said and Kagome shook her head.

" I have offered to take the beads off twice, he does not want to let go." she said and it was kikyo us turn to gasp.

" You have? And he is still here? Why?" she asked and Kagome shrugged.

" Honestly i don't know…. but i do like having him around, he's a good conversation, very helpful and once you get past the whole sniffing thing, he's really interesting to be around." she said seeing her sister consider the other side of this argument for the first time.

" Sniffing thing?" she said slightly repulsed. She envisioned the demon walking up to people and sniffing them creepily and Kagome shook her head.

" He is always smelling for different things, emotions, sickness, danger, other demons or creatures." she listed making Kikyou surprised at the depth of her knowledge of demons.

" How do you know all of this." she asked and Kagome snorted.

" I paid attention when they were teaching me. He and Youkio were quite thorough in teaching me about canine demons, Youkio said that it was good, if i was going to be with him for a long time to learn how to tell if he's truly angry or if he feels like someone has challenged him. Two kinds of anger that is expressed differently in their culture." she explained and Kikyou

" He taught you about his culture? You really like him don't you?" Kikyou said aloud and saw her sister's cheeks rose over. She sighed. " you really believe that he won't kill Inuyasha?" she asked again and Kagome nodded.

" I'm sure of it," she said and Kikyou glanced back at the hut and saw the door open.

" You better be, Inuyasha's gone." she said and began to panick.

Kagome knew he would go to Sesshomaru she did not even hesitate to feel for where he was. She paused to wait for her sister, and they walked together to the tree where Sesshomaru was lounging high hanging on to inuyasha by the back of his robe, Inuyasha was swinging above the forest floor, squealing and having the time of his life, and Sesshomaru glanced over at Kagome when she entered his range of smell. Kikyou looked horrified, but Kagome went to him and held her hand up for Inuyasha to be delivered into her hands. He dangled the boy above her hands and he squirmed excitedly.

" Mother!" he said happily. " Demon and i are friends" he smiled.

" Have you been practicing demons name?" Kagome teased him and Inuyasha's brow scrunched as he thought.

" shhh" he tried and Kagome plucked him from Sesshomaru's hand and gave him to Kikyou. Kikyou inspected him and listened to Inuyasha trying to use the demons name with mixed feelings. " Mother you try." he said and Kikyou glanced at the demon and saw that he was eyeing her irritated that she was even there. Kikyou felt a wave of annoyance herself.

" Okay, what is it?" she asked and Kagome looked at Sesshomaru who nodded at her

"it's Sesshomaru." she said and Kikyou looked at her with abhorrence.

" His name is killing perfection?" she said and Sesshomaru began to grow, not liking the tone of disgust she had used to address him with.

" Yes, his name is Sesshomaru, he is actually quite good at killing." Kagome giggled and Sesshomaru did not see the humor in it, he did appreciate however that she at least recognized him as an adequate warrior.

" is there something funny?" he asked with mock anger. Kikyou looked up at him with surprise and Kagome giggled again seeing that her joke had only served to entertain herself. He turned to kikyou " if you find my name untasteful you can continue to call me demon, i prefer my name to come out of the mouths of my pack or my victims…. Which are you?" he challenged and Kagome sighed.

" Neither. Though, i see you have an interest in my twin." Kikyou confronted him.

" You might even say a vested interest. She is mine, i will not let her go." he said voicing the things he'd felt for months now to this woman's face. She bit her lip not liking what he had said but he didn't care at this point. He could see her considering them as a couple and he tried to appear unfettered by her inspection.

" She is yours? Well she is mine too, by blood. And as i see it you have a long way until i will be alright with you being with my sister." Kikyou said meaning it and not even trying to beat around the bush.

" Kikyou-" Kagome started but Sesshomaru shook his head.

" It's alright Kagome, this has been coming for a while. What is it woman? What do you want me to do to finally be left with my mate in peace?" he said stifling the annoyance of dealing with her.

The day dragged after the twins got home, they had decided that putting the things about the demon aside was best for now, kikyou still didn't like him, but she wasn't going to stop her any more. It was progress, but she was now tired from every other task that required her attention. Kagome sighed, she was glad that the slight intervention had served to open the barriers between them, even if it was only a communication barrier. She saw him sitting at the edge of their yard and she smiled at him when she bent down to pick up the tools she had been using to work outside. He smirked and beckoned her to him. She glanced around and saw Kikyou stacking some firewood and she shook her head and gestured to wait a few minutes.

She finished her rounds and managed to find most of the tools before taking them to the the hut and storing them in the baskets she had weaved. Shippo walked over to her and smirked. "Today was exciting, is it always like this here?" he asked and Kagome shook her head.

"Much more peaceful, though the older that Inuyasha gets the less and less quiet." she smiled and Shippo sniffed and then looked back at the demon lord.

" ...He wants you." he said nodding over his shoulder.

" Oh i know." she smiled, looking forward to spending some time with him, alone. They had barely been able to carry a conversation without someone interrupting them to barge in uninvited. She loved her family, but she was beginning to cherish the moments alone with her demon. Shippo could scent her anticipation and was embarrassed to be confronted so boldly by her want for the demon.

" Um- i'm going to go inside you don't need my help-" he said as he began to run away. Kagome barely noticed his embarrassment and looked around for Kikyou and Inuyasha. She heard Shippo talking to them through the window of the hut and turned to go to Sesshomaru.

" You have worked hard today." he said not feeling the slightest bit guilty for watching her work all day, he found it fascinating that they toiled all day to do just the basic things in life and then seemed content. Kagome nodded and shrugged not caring one way or the other weather he was helping or watching. He stood, when she was about to sit next to him and coaxed her into walking with him through the forest.

"Yes, and have gotten Alot done to prepare for the winter. It's just a few months away and there is still so much to do…. Do you do anything to prepare yourself for winter? I remember we met around this time last year but i don't recall seeing you do anything different" she asked considering him. He glanced to the side to escape the remainder of his previous behavior, he wasn't sorry, wasn't going to apologize, but no longer found her to be worthy of such treatment.

"Of course, I, like most inu warriors, increase my weight by one tenth and prepare for battle. The longer nights serve as an excellent ground for the test of dominance. Every year they come, every year we war, but this time they will be coming fro me alone" he looked into the night and felt the quietness of the cooling summer night. It wouldn't be long before those longer nights arrived and the anticipation for war was in him.

"You're going to leave?" Kagome asked not wanting to sound too attached, but she could not help the disappointment. He smirked and thought about the times he wondered if she would miss him if he left her and if her attentions would wander to other males, he was not disappointed, though with the attention she earned from demons he was apt to keep her reminded of who she was involved with.

" I will be back, you are not to seek out the company of another while I am away, I will be unable to keep my claws from tearing them apart." he said turning dark. Kagome felt the chills from before, knowing that he meant the warning as a clue into the culture of inu, but she could feel the malice in his Tone at the thought of her taking another lover.

"I already know that. I just want you to be safe!" she grouched and shook her head at him. He was always accusing her of going out and flirting with other men, until a month ago they weren't even considering being together and even so he was telling her who she could be around.

"I want you to understand that you are mine." he said and Kagome snorted thinking that his statement was just redundant.

"I realize that. And I expect the same thing." she said and poked him in the chest though she knew it was a sign of Challenge. He took her hand in his. Seeing that she was trying to lighten the mood and kissed it making her blush but she was not swayed easily by his attempt at charm.

" I have never wanted anyone else" he said roughly and Kagome snatched her hand back crossed her arms. He reached forward and touched her hair and gripping a handful at the base of her skull knowing that her anger was just a cover for the tremor in her heartbeat, he smirked and scented the place at her temple, she frowned.

" I don't know why you want me. I'm idiotic, and a simpering weakling and everything else that you find annoying you've only said it a thousand times, and i don't even think your sorry about it." she sighed and he shrugged.

" no, i'm not. You are my annoyance…..I will keep you." he smirked he tipped her head back and placed his lips against hers. " I will be more than upset to have to kill your lover." he reminded her.

" I know that, jerk! You keep bringing that up." she huffed and he smirked against her lips. "I already know that you aren't going to be happy if i was with anyone else, it's been obvious for a very long time. You are enough trouble as it is." Kagome sighed but did not move when he kissed her forehead. It was getting late and she dragged herself away from him with some effort. He did not want to let her go.

"I don't understand why you will go back there, I am here, you should be with me." he said not wanting her to leave him again, he had spent far too long watching her from afar and unable to touch her. He had gotten used to her being around him and now that she was home they had had to fight for any time alone and he was tired of it.

" I want to be with you, but, I don't want there to be another fight. I will come back in the morning, maybe I could go with you while you hunt." she tried to pacify his irritation, but it only served to make him more irritated. He growled and jumped into the tree and looked at her from over his shoulder.

" perhaps I will barge into your hut and drag you out of bed to be with me." he challenged and she giggled like it was a joke, before leaning to kiss him goodbye and turning to leave.

. He didn't want to let go of any ground won in their skirmish for Kagome's attention. He was going to win, he always won. Even the prospect of dealing with the child would be nothing, so long as she was with him. He had decided that he would change from the man that his father, had made him, he had tried, and even still was pulled back to those behaviors, by habit and lack of give a damn, but to be with her meant she would push him to be better than that.

Why am i still here? Jakken had asked him that, just that morning, and he had said that he wanted to be with Kagome. He had been honest, but he was being pulled by the desire to go back to his old life. He could sense the power that was available to him and he warred with the desire to wet his claws in blood. and the longing to step back from it all to be with Kagome and her quiet life.

He could not imagine himself as a farmer, but, he could imagine himself finding a place in Kagome's life and staying aloof from his tribal drama while he watched her live until she is old. Then, he would watch her pass away into the realm of the spirits, he would miss her. He could already feel the tightening in his chest from the thought, but when he learned to sniff her, she was young and vibrant and held no sign of decay or age, he smiled and thought of the years stretching out before them. He was almost happy about his decision to stay. Unlike his father, had nothing left for him in that village and nothing to force him to return; not family, not obligation, and he did not want the life of a general. " I want to live for myself. I want Kagome, what more is there to fight for?" he asked himself.

"My Lord, the demons are coming, look." out of hiding and pointed to the whirlwind of energy that was moving g toward them. Sesshomaru felt his heart sink, they found him. He thought about the year of peace and saw it slip away. He reached to tokijin and unsheathed it, releasing the energy of demons who roared with the adrenaline of battle. He felt renewed energy, smirking he dared the demons to come, he would kill them all.

 **AN: cant wait to update again soon!**

 **-inuyoukaidreamer, out**


	24. three words

When the energy had manifested itself in front of him, a demon male stood looking down at Sesshomaru, though his energy was insultingly weak. Eyes that held no fear stare him down and the inu warlord nearly laughed in the demons face. In one night everything came back to him. Demons came, looking for the fight of their lives, having heard that the great generals son still lived, but was reduced in rank and was living with a human, it had become a joke within the demon community and demons large and small found him to fight. One by one they fell to the Sword of Judgement and he became stronger and more agile until even the underlings that hounded him began to get bigger and bigger due to his unstoppable streak.

This night, the latest demon stood, sword drawn and ready to die "Are you Sesshomaru?". he asked and sent a tearing wind, to scar his skin and ruffle his clothing. Sesshomaru scoffed at the attempt to intimidate him and flexed his claws making the winds dissipate before gripping the hilt of tokijin, the sword thrummed with the anticipation for battle. It wanted the energy of the maliciousness the demon was driven by. it was a wind demon, rare for this area but with the intent the man used in his stare he guessed that he had hunted him down to be judged at his hands.

"You have found me," he growled and held his stance when the winds came again. He could feel Jakken grasping his hakama , and cheering him on to the next victory.

"I was a victim of your terror, when you still had your manhood. I just could not believe that you have become a slave for a human, I had to see it for myself. You are reduced to the lowest filth and I cannot allow a man as low as you to have a victory over my people" the wind demon laughed maniacally and Sesshomaru growled.

He was offended that every demon so far had used Kagome to justify attacking him.. He had realized that his enemies would come. They always had, but to be openly called out for wanting to be with a human made him rage. He tried to keep his temper. " it is not time for the struggle of status, and I will not be challenged here in my home." he growled and the demon scoffed.

"I am here now." he said and charged.

Kagome woke up with a start. She felt power pulsing through her veins and she was restored in energy so much she could not go back to sleep. It was something that was happening more and more often as the summer turned into fall. She sat up and looked out of the window at the crescent moon and thought about the new moon that would happen in just a few days she hadn't told Sesshomaru the effects of the new moon on Inuyasha's power, it was a discussion that she had been afraid to approach since he and Kikyou were at odds continuously and Kikyou didn't trust him. Kagome sighed and wondered how angry he would be at her for finding out this secret, she had kept it for the child's sake, to protect him from demons that would want to hurt him. She pondered the situation as she looked out across the forest and felt for the energy of her demon.

Sesshomaru stood with the sword drawn and looked in wonderment at the weapon used to dispatch his opponent. He was gone. Sesshomaru felt the power that pulsed through the weapon and filled him again with even more power. It was incredible, the power of the demon was in him and he flexed his claws to feel the strength. He smirked and looked down at the weapon. " Violet, what have you given me?" he asked aloud. Since the moment he had decided to use it he had been doing nothing but fighting and sending people into the depth of Violets dungeon, he thought about his time there and knew in his heart that no demon he'd sent so far was worthy of passing the trials. He wasn't even worthy, he got by because of his want to be with Kagome, without her, he would have been consumed by his anger, destroyed by his malintent and executed by his own claws in her trials.

Jakken was rubbing his hands together in anticipation for the battles to come. He could almost see the power that his master had gained in this battle. Each opponent left his master even stronger than the last, demons, from all over japan were coming to battle him, his Lord was thriving again, and he could see with each passing day a renewal in his concentration and the willpower to fight beyond anything else.

"Finally realized that the sword truly is a gift? I wondered when this would happen, though knowing you, Iwas prepared to wait a while before the demons began to enter my domain." he turned and saw Violet sitting on a branch laughing at his realization. She was inspecting her nails which to him were an even more unusual color then even demons he'd slayed.

Sesshomaru was wary of her presence he wanted to punch her in the face for cursing him further. He growled and re sheathed the sword. "What are you doing here." he said with no illusion of happiness. He wanted to get away from her before his anger was kindled and he did something that he would regret.

She smiled and He could feel the weight of her magic, brushing against him and he took a step back, not wanting to feel the burn of her wrath. " Judge Sesshomaru, you have shown my power in thirty opponents, how do you feel?" she asked and he looked down at his hands that still tingled with the power that he had absorbed.

"I don't want to play your games child," he said not wanting to admit the thrum of adrenaline that spiked in him and made him want to take on the entire demon race. He felt the clamour of demon energies approaching and he knew they would find him soon.

"You have no choice." she smiled again and he began to turn away before his rage got the better of him. "where are you going?" she asked and he barely acknowledge her.

"To find another opponent." he said though he had no intention of doing so. He wanted away from her, to think about the power that had wet his appetite for battle and made him look into the distance to scent for the next demon that would challenge him.

Violet appeared from behind a tree and into his path. " I came to tell you something." she put her arms out and made him stop, though she knew at any moment she could remove the ability to stand from his being, and force him to listen. She looked at him and saw the rough stubbornness that had peeked her interest and knew that he was considering the power that she had presented him with..

"Say your piece and leave me be." he stopped and she sighed, having hoped that he was over the course by now.

"You know Sesshomaru the curse was not supposed to be a complete punishment, just a reminder not to drop a holy relic, dummy. Anyway, this is what Icame to tell you... Kagome is in danger…. Now if you will excuse me I will watch from my realm as you figure this one out." she began to turn away when he stopped her.

"Wait." he reached out for her and Violet turned, she could see the worry in his eyes and smiled smugly knowing that the woman was the only one who could get through to this oaf.

"The being that is watching her is more powerful than you by thirty times, he is obscured from my vision by another kami, so I can't do a Lot for you, but I can give you-" she started to reach into her pocket when he backed away.

"I don't want it. I don't want your help either, I can look after my pack myself, no one will take my mate from me, that is all." he said and began to walk away this time with more on his mind.

Violet shook her head. " what a stubborn man. How did he ever make it through my dungeon?" she asked and Jakken snorted.

"My Lord is unmovable when he wants something. That is how he is so great, he does not give up." Jakken said with pride he was enamored with the prospect of the demon sword making him unstoppable. He was curious about what else she had for him.

Violet saw the admiration and considered the toad. "Jakken, you have faith in Sesshomaru that he will become my great judge?"

"I believe he will never settle for working for you, that he will one day thrust away your bindings and become even greater." Jakken puffed up and saw Violet smirk.

"Give this to him, if that demon ever shows up." she asked and handed him a small metal instrument. Jakken looked at it and Violet smiled.

" Is it a flute?" he asked she nodded.

"My father found it for me in some time around later." she said confusing the toad but not moving to elaborate further. He shook his head at her and began to walk after his master.

"What a troublesome kami" he muttered.

Kagome walked along the path to the village, she was singing softly while Shippo skipped along beside her. He was practicing the magics he was developing though Kagome he had forbade him from getting too involved in his pranks. Kikyou was surprisingly entertained with the tops and statues that he came up with. When Kagome asked her she merely shrugged.

"Fox demons are good luck." she had said. Shippo just laughed and collaborated her story with some tale of sketchy origin. Kagome shrugged. If they weren't fighting then she was happy.

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to reach with her senses to the furthest reaches of her ability. She was feeling strange, more alive and more intense with her ability than she ever had before. Kagome felt the energy of the forest and the struggling auras of the demons and humans. That inhabited the nearby village and countryside. On the mountain where they lived there was only one demon. He was fierce, powerful and to most terrifying beyond belief.

Sesshomaru was close, watching her. He hadn't let her be alone since the moment the barriers had been lifted. He was always close but the last two days had been almost insane with the amount of overprotective and abrasiveness.

She pinpointed his aura and sent a small spark to the place where he was hiding just out of sight. He jumped and stepped out of the undergrowth rubbing the place on his chest where her energy had touched him. Shippo laughed aloud and stuck out his tongue.

"I found you. Why are you following me again?" she asked him suspicious of his hesitance to answer her.

"I was merely… Following you. " he said giving up the lie in the middle. He saw that she was suspicious of him and did not want to agitate her more.

"Why?" she asked again and he looked for a way to distract her. He did not want to tell her something that was false and make her worry over nothing. He had tried to ignore the kami's warning, but he could not escape the dread in his heart when she told him she was in danger. He had been vigilant in his search for demons in his territory, but none had even been enough to warrant a second look.

He closed the distance between them and leaned to kiss her which served to distract her but not for long. " I am simply want to be in your company." he lied and she didn't buy it.

"Right…. Have you noticed the demon activity?" she asked and he nodded.

"I have been….listening for them. They are mostly of low power and ranking." he said and Kagome looked at him curiously.

"Why are they here?" she asked and he was silent for what seemed like an eternity. He looked at Shippo and signaled for him to go home and let him have his time. He frowned and was about to make a fuss about being told to leave when Sesshomaru gripped the hilt of his sword and dared him further. Shippo sulked off.

"They are trying to overtake the power of a demon they believe to have fallen from his former glory. They will not touch you." he said and she felt the tension of the things he wasn't saying. He was acting off, even Kikyou had noticed his constant skulking and had commented.

"Are they?" she asked and he felt her power on him. He was amazed that she too had been gaining strength. He had noticed her meditating and practicing with her magics and been both wary and impressed.

They walked in somewhat tense silence for a while before neither could stand it any longer. He turned to her and grabbed her hand and he was about to open his mouth to speak when both he and Kagome looked to the pathway, and saw the healer treading toward them. Sesshomaru smelled the bitterness on him like a veil and wrinkled his nose. " I will see what he wants" she said and he nodded.

" I will be here" he replied and stepped into the shadows.

Hojo cursed as he walked up the pathway, he had been thinking about the callous way Kagome had dismissed his second advance. He was planning on helping her to be rid of the demons, she was distracted by them from being with her own kind. He stopped when he saw her on the pathway and looked around for the demon, Hojo walked to her with some confidence and Kagome greeted him formally. " i've found you, please I must speak with Kikyou, now." h said and Kagome nodded thinking that it was strange he was looking for Kikyou, she had seen the two over the last year and they were not friends. Looking into the forest beside her she saw Sesshomaru walking parallel to them as they followed the path.

"Your charms and barriers are gone?" he noticed and took a step back from the trees, Kagome sighed,

"I don't need them any more, the demon and are friends." she said and heard the stifled growl at being referred to as a friend. Hojo looked to where he heard the demon and took hold of Kagome. She tried to remove his hands from her arm and he gripped her tightly making her hiss in pain she raise her hand and stopped Sesshomaru from killing him where he stood.

"I don't want to lose you to that demon. Your heart is too kind, you have tolerated him for so long you don't know what normal human relationships are like any more. I have come to help…. I brought this." he said bringing out a vile. Kagome examined it and nearly threw it away from herself in horror.

"Hojo, take that away from here. How could you even dare bring that black magic here. Where did you get that poison?" Kagome demanded fighting her way from his grasp. Hojo started after her and Kagome turned on him, he watched her eyes dim in disappointment and she shook her head at him. He couldn't take it. She was too far gone and he felt helpless to the loss.

"Kagome don't turn away from me. I came to help you." he said and Kagome laughed hollowly.

" Hojo, we both know you came here for you." she said heartlessly. He was taken aback and tried to deny it but he couldn't fight the anger that was boiling up in him. He took a step toward her wanting to take hold of her and shake her back to reality, and came face to face with the demon. He stepped between them and Hojo looked up at hate filled citron eyes. The demon towered over him, robed in fine garments and plated armour, at his side was a sword that, even with his small knowledge of magic items, gave him the chills and made him want to run, before its wielder turned its blade on him. He was unearthly, deadly, and poised to protect Kagome... from him.

Hojo grasped the poisoned vile and raised his hand to throw it at the demon. Sesshomaru caught his hand in his grasp and squeezed until the human let go of the vile. He examined it and smirked. " You wished to kill me, with this?" he removed the lid and drank the entire contents. Hojo looked at him with wonder and horror and Sesshomaru broke it in his hand and dropped the shards. "My blood is poison. This you will know." he said and brought his hand to Hojos face, showing him his claws as they began to bleed glowing green poison that burned away grass and stone as it seeped to the ground.

"Die, you cursed creature." Hojo hissed and tried to draw a dagger that Sesshomaru laughed at. Kagome was disturbed watching this and began to walk away towards the hut. She doubted that Sesshomaru would kill him, but after seeing the darkness in his eyes as he stepped toward her she felt less mercy for him then normal.

When she was gone Sesshomaru punched Hojo to the ground and kicked him into a tree making him cough. "Never come back here. You are banished from my domain, if you enter again, I will hunt you down and eat you." he said and meant it.

"You don't deserve Kagome, she deserved to be with her own kind." Hojo said making a last attempt to rattle the demon. Sesshomaru looked at him, amazed that he was still talking to him. When the human stood back up Sesshomaru smirked and flexed his claws. "You have warped her, taken her from me, after I worked hard for her." he seethed.

"I have claimed her. She is mine, regardless of your whining human. The warning stands, leave now with your life and never return." he growled and left him there in a flash. Hojo stared into space for a few moments after the demon was gone. He had felt the weight of the ultimatum and began to run as soon as his body caught up with his mind.

He was bitter, with angry tears streaming down his face from losing his temper when she denied him, her rejection, and the pummeling he received from the demon. Hojo was raging inside as he reentered the city gates, and ran straight to his master's storefront. Jin met him at the end of the walkway to his room and was shocked at the bruises that covered him.

"You went to confront the demon, did you take the poison?" Jin asked taking hold of the boys arms. Hojo nodded.

"He drank the poison and laughed at me, he delivered a harsh beating and banished me from the mountain. Jin, he has to be destroyed." Hojo panted recalling the humiliation and the hatred that the second beating had caused.

Jin frowned and looked to the sparse staff of healers and spiritualists that worked under him. " you will need Kikyou, she is the only other strong priestess that may be able to help. She is highly concerned with the demon, I will talk to her tomorrow when she comes in for Inuyasha's potion." Jin tried but Hojo broke away from his master.

"That's not good enough! He needs to be dealt with." Hojo snapped and his master thought for a moment.

"Well it has been a while since I called them but there are demon exterminators that work close." he recalled and Hojo nodded.

"Send a message."

Kagome shook her head, she could not believe that Hojo had tried to hurt her, she recalled the look in his eyes and felt her blood run cold at the memory. If Sesshomaru hadn't have been there she didn't know what would have happened. " he will not harm you." Sesshomaru leaned over to her. She was stooped over picking herbs in the early fall afternoon. She sighed and tried to put it out of her mind.

"You didn't hurt him too badly did you?" she asked and he shook his head.

"He will walk." he said and thought about the offence of crossing a warrior's woman in his tribe. He had let the boy go with the lightest possible sentence for threatening Kagome. He thought of the healer's words and looked at Kagome and could have laughed at the thought of that healer taking her from him. He had hated watching him follow her like an obsessed pup, and would deflect his attempts at her with every fiber of his being. He felt the urge to shred him with his bare claws but thought of the curse and reminded himself to use the sword. The human would suffer a thousand times over in the dungeons.

"I just don't know what got into him. He's always been such a nice man….. So, we were about to talk about why you are following me when he walked up. I would like to continue that conversation." she looked at him and Sesshomaru began to look for a way out of her sharp stare. She tracked his pacing until he could not stand it any more.

"I think you are in danger." he said and Kagome sat back on her heels and looked at him wondering if her was serious or not.

"From what?" she asked. "Who, why?" she stood.

"I don't know." he answered not knowing what else to say, he had been fighting almost every day after dark but none of the demons made an effort to reach her, they were too occupied with getting the power he had claimed for himself.

"I don't see what your worried about then, besides, you and I Are both a lot stronger since you've been using that sword. Do you think that's apart of that curse. She did say we were connected.

Sesshomaru nodded thinking he had been overprotective lately. He had wondered about the human, but the prospect of her being killed by the human while he was so near was almost laughable. Whatever danger awaited her, that was not it. " I Don't pretend to know about the dealings of kami, they are a strange race, often thinking of things to make our lives more difficult, before releasing us to our fates." he said and Kagome just shook her head at the cynicism.

"I feel stronger, and I Know you've been using the sword, since I Feel no pain. You are stronger, I can feel it in your aura." she said and he nodded.

"It is a strange feeling, but it seems as if I am absorbing the energy of the sword as well. Each time I make a kill the energy not only goes into the sword, but I feel as if some of it is absorbed into my own aura." he said and looked down at his clawed hand. He could see the markings, bright against his pale skin and for the first time in many years did not shy away from looking at them. He pulled the sleeve of his haori back and looked at a scar that his father had given him, he snorted at the memory and covered it again.

"I feel stronger too, but mostly when we are together, do you feel that way too." she asked and looked up at him.

"I never want you to be away from me." he made it clear that he was not joking and she felt the shiver down her spine from the sincerity of his desire. His eyes held the worry that she would disappear from in front of him, and he could not stand the fear that gripped him.

"Kami, Sesshomaru you scare me when you're so serious. Nothing is going to happen. You're being silly." she said and tried to brush his fears aside.

"When I'm with you, I can forget about the past and move on. This is why I cannot let you go." he gripped her hands and brought them to his lips and kissed her knuckles and brought her wrists to his nose to take in her scent. Kagome blushed and felt her heart flutter. She breathed in his scent, he always smelled of cedar, and field grass, she swallowed down the nervousness and stepped closer to him. She looked up at the setting sun and then back at her demon.

"Sesshomaru, I wish you could have met my father, he would have loved you. I am fighting my past, I have for such a long time. When we traveled, we were on guard from the villages, we never had a place to call home because of my father's reputation. We were dishonored, shamed by a single act of kindness toward a political rival. And we were hated and made to suffer endless torments drifting from place to place, because of that, I have never been able to sit by and watch someone hurt, I have always tried to help people through their pain, no matter what it cost me. When we met, I wanted to help you, but in all this time I have helped you very little in comparison to what you have done for me. I know that you will not hurt me" she said and he took in a breath at her admission and brought his arms around her.

"I have never cared before… nor will I again, you are my mate and I will protect you until you take your final breath." Sesshomaru felt his chest tighten and knew that he had been right in staying with her. He felt the binding beads press between then when they embraced and felt her small hands grasping his haori.

Kagome gasped against his lips and felt his hands tighten around her waist pulling her into him and molding her to him. She grasped the binding in her hands. "Sesshomaru, I love you. I cannot keep you bound any more." she whispered against his lips before kissing him before taking the cursed beads off.

They both felt the separation as if doused in cold water. Sesshomaru brought his hand up to feel the place that for so long the beads had held him, bound him to the conditions of her curse. He looked at her and saw that she was looking for his reaction. He didn't know himself, how he felt. He was both relieved and bitter that she had done this, he wanted to draw her back to him and continue as they were but now felt naked and vulnerable to his own rage. " you are not afraid that I will hurt you. bound I could not, regardless of my intentions, now, I will not be able to touch you without hurting you." he said and backed away.

"I don't believe that, if I did we would still be bound. You are free, I could not keep you a prisoner, knowing that I was in love and wanting to keep you to myself. You are going to be a great warrior, a demon worth praise, but I cannot go where you need to gain true strength, you should not be held back by me, I am raising a child, and distracting you from your destiny." she said in earnest. He shook his head.

"You just don't get it. I want you. I need you to be with me or I will go back to my old ways." he began to feel the fuzz of his anxiety beginning to darken the edge of his vision. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in months and never when he was at the edge of darkness as this. He was losing her.

"You won't, we are still connected, take me with you in your heart, when you are afraid or angry let me be with you then, and come back to me when you are lonely." she cupped the side of his face in her palm and kissed his chin, before leaning up and placing her lips to his gently.

"In my heart? Do I even have a heart?" he began to grumble and she kissed him again to stop his worrying.

"Your heart is why I love you, you are passionate and want to protect those you care about, use that to do what you have always wanted and become the greatest demon you can be. You have already taken your life back from your father, and your tribe, take your life back from me, and violet and everyone else and be who you are." Kagome held him tightly and waited for him to stop his fretting. He was panting not sure weather to rage or grieve for the turbulent emotions in him. What she said was truth, and he wanted her even more for the purity of her heart. He recalled seeing her so many time reach out to him even when all he wanted to do was kill her and was once more reminded of why he had decided to change. She was his strength.

Sesshomaru was brought out of his brooding suddenly by a scent in his territory, he looked up at the darkening night sky and growled. " there is someone in my territory." he scented the air and snapped his teeth at the anger that filled him. He was angry two fold at the interruption. Kagome looked at him with some concern and he pecked her lips. " Iwill be back, the path to your hut is that way, I will come for you when I am done." he said and Kagome nodded and hastened down the path feeling the power of the demon that had entered her range of senses.

It was big and moving towards them quickly. Kagome gasped when she saw Sesshomaru fly backwards from an impact and tried to run to the hut that was protected with the strongest of charms to ward off the temper of her own demon. She looked around and saw nothing around her as she entered the clearing around her hut. She saw Kikyou and Inuyasha on the steps hanging some herbs to dry in bundles when they saw her running toward them.

Above them a shadow passed in front of the moon and the image of a great condor was darkened in shadow around them. Kagome looked up with horror and saw the demon markings down the breast and bottom side of his wings, the creature dove toward her and she ran to the hut and grabbed Inuyasha and Kikyou with her as they closed the door to the hut. shippo met them at the door and screamed when he saw the shadow pass over them again.

" where did he come from!" he shouted and tried to throw a top that created a tornado, the bird demon swatted it out of the air like the toy it was and cawed a loud screech.

"Why do you run from me Kagome. We are meant to be as one?" he said through his telepathic link, Kagome grasped her head and cried out.

"No! Go away!" she shouted and Inuyasha howled clinging to her as a lifeline. Kikyou began to chant to ward off the creature and Kagome joined in feeling the familiar flow of energy in her. When together their energy tripled and with Kagome's increase in strength the creature was driven back as they heard Sesshomaru growl. Kagome peaked out of the window and saw Sesshomaru transformed state, gleaming fangs and white fur. He kept his demon markings and she was amazed at the beauty of his transformation. The condor took a dive toward the demon male and was met with a lunge meant to tear him from the sky and spit him out. Sesshomaru missed and was gouged with the deadly talons of the birds when he blocked. Kagome gasped and tried to see whether he was mortally wounded or not. With the chant picking up more and more strength the great condor was driven back as Sesshomaru fought him.

When he was gone Sesshomaru limped to the treeline and laid his massive body against several trees that supported his back. Kagome rushed out to him and Kikyou tried to stop her.

"He's not human!" Kikyou said grabbing her.

"No kidding." she replied and tore herself out of her sister's grasp. She approached the dog demon and looked on his massive form with wonder. Looking at her she saw his eyes, they were the same ones that she loved and felt only amazement at his transformation. " you're hurt." she said and raised her hand to touch the torn flesh of his side. He grunted and turned his face from her pretending not to care. "Let me heal you." she said and began to draw power to her hands. Kagome felt their connection and when she brought her hand to his wound she was amazed that he healed immediately.

Sesshomaru turned to look at her hands on his fur, he didn't hate the feeling, he liked the warmth of her powers on him and even growled content when she began to caress his fur under her hands. "Wow, you are soft… and warm. Stay like this for a while okay?" she asked and he stood and peered down at her with his large eyes. Kagome stood looking up at his magnificence and reached her hand up to beckon him to let her pet him.

Shippo looked out through the window with some nervousness, even the most powerful kitsune was a near replica of their beast counterpart. This creature in front of him was an ancient powerful blooded demon with the size of one thousand common dogs combined. His fangs were like swords and his eyes blood red and dominated by instinct. He cowered back and was shocked that Kagome did not run from him. He would have run.

Sesshomaru bent to touch her hand with his nose and felt her touch him gently before manifesting his energy and changing back. " Kagome you are in danger." he said and took hold of her. She looked down and blushed.

 **AN: thank you for the reviews, i know that the last chapter was a little choppy but i think I've fixed most of the errors if you would like to take a second look, anyway there is more fun and characters to come! Update again soon!**

 **-Idreamofinuyoukai, out**


	25. righteous judgement?

Kagome tore her eyes from his body and covered her eyes, now scarlet with embarrassment. Sesshomaru wrinkled his brow confused by her actions. He thought that at the moment there were more prudent things to be worried about, like the giant demon much more powerful than he was looking for the opportunity to take her from him. "You are in danger." he repeated.

Kagome blinked a few times and nodded. "Yes….. it seems so." she said with a hint of double meaning. Kagome shook her head and untied her outer haori and handed it to him to cover himself while in front of her sister, son, and ward. He raised his eyebrows and snatched the fabric from her hand.

"Kagome, I'm serious. I heard his thoughts, he wants to take you from me!" he snapped and barely made an attempt to cover himself.

"I heard him…. He hurt you pretty badly, Sesshomaru what are we going to do."she asked worried. He took her hand in his and stilled her.

"I will be by your side at all times from now on. I cannot give him the opportunity to steal you" he said and Kagome heard Kikyou balk in amazement at the boldness of his statement. She was blushing, covering her eyes from the demons nakedness, and wanting him to both go away and put something on to cover his….

Sesshomaru heard the shuffling of armour and turned to see Jakken carrying his robes and armour to him through the forest. "My Lord!" he called and Sesshomaru motioned for him to come near. He dressed quite casually, much to both Kikyou and Kagome discomfort. Shippo peered out to the two and held Inuyasha back from going out to them.

Shippo looked around and saw a hunk of wood he had been carving into a horse, it was supposed to become a golomb for protection, he thrust it into Inuyasha's hand and watched as the boy looked at it in amazement and began to decipher what it was.

"Ship.. cat." he said after a while and Shippo shook his head.

"Geeze Inuyasha, this is a horse. Horse." he said enunciating the word for the toddler.

"Inuyasha…. Horse." he mimicked and stood. Shippo sighed thinking that being big was fun while it lasted, the inu boy would out grow him quickly. Shippo looked down at him for a moment thinking it would have been nice to have a younger brother. For now though, he had a half demon boy to think about. Shippo smelled the tang of Inuyasha's transformation and looked for a way to cover it from the elder demon male.

"Hey, inu, eat some of this, it will help you to hide." Shippo said and withdrew a strong scented root. The boy recoiled from it, but Shippo wrestled with him and made him m eat it. Inuyasha cried and Kikyou rushed in to see what was going on.

"Shippo, why are you fighting at a time like this." she said having no patience.

"I wanted to help him hide…. From the demon during these vulnerable nights." Shippo said and Kikyou nodded knowing what he was hinting at. She peered at the demon and wished that he would go away.

Sesshomaru entered the hut behind her and Kikyou made a motion to kick him out when she noticed that the beads were gone and she shrank back. "Are you truly going to invade our space?" she asked and Sesshomaru growled low and looked at Inuyasha

"What foul thing have you given him?" he asked disgusted he almost covered his nose while completely ignoring Kikyou. Jakken entered behind his Sesshomaru and Kikyou jumped back from him disgusted.

"Eeeewww a troll! Get it out!" she cried and Sesshomaru put up his hand.

"This is my retainer, he is welcomed where I go." he said and are it clear he didn't care about her comfort. Coming in behind the crowd of demons Kagome looked around at the chaos, outside was a sliver of a moon and she knew that their secret would be sabotaged if he was there during the new moon. She saw how upset that Kikyou was getting at the crowd of demons in their Hut.

The twins locked eyes and she decided that something needed to be done for both the demon that was tracking her and the infants secret to be concealed from the elder demon. Kagome felt a twisting in her insides from the thought of keeping something like that from him but she didn't see another way.

The night was spent in silence, but not rest. Sesshomaru fretted about the demon that had dared not only enter his territory looking to claim his woman,but had also managed to wound him in the process. That had not happened in almost fifty years, and if the priestesses hadn't have been driving him back already, he would have been more severely injured.

Jakken could see the anger and frustration rolling off of his master in waves. Jakken reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew the metal instrument the half kami had given to him. This must have been the demon she was talking about, he thought and went to give it to him.

"This is all your fault, if you, demon, would just leave us alone then these bigger demons wouldn't be coming after us." Kikyou remarked bitterly. Kagome tried to hush her but the damage was already done.

"Quite human! My Lord does not have the time to listen to your mad ramblings. The demon is here, he is intent on us, it is up to my Lord to stop it." Jakken said taking umbrage to the snide comments.

"Yeah and he did such a great job the first time." she said grabbing a wooden bowl and chucking it at Jakken. Sesshomaru Intercepted it and grabbed it out of the air.

"My Lord you should slaughter her." Jakken snapped and shook his staff at her.

Sesshomaru grabbed Jakken's staff and pointed out of the hut. "Jakken out. I will deal with guarding these women, see to the preparations for my next battle." he said and Jakken nodded relieved to be released from his duty there.

An air of relief filled them when Jakken shut the door behind him. Sesshomaru set down and brought his sword across his lap to rest. It was the night before he would rest, and he was beginning to feel the fatigue. Kagome tended to Inuyasha and Shippo,while Kikyou reinforced several charms and closed the house down fro the night.

When the children were asleep Kagome came to sit next to him, she took his hand in hers and caressed lines in his wrist that sent shivers to his core and made him take in a deep breath looking for the eagerness he had seen when she had seen him naked. He had not missed the line if her sight, or the blush that had stained her cheeks with both embarrassment and innocence,

Kikyou watched them like a hawk until she fell asleep and when she was truly asleep he felt a relief that he could finally let go of the breath he had been holding. Kagome looked at him through half closed eyes and leaned to his shoulder taking his arm in her grasp and holding on to him. He relished her attention, liked the gentle caresses on his wrist and arm and nearly growled when she yawned cutely and closed her eyes to rest her chin against his arm.

"I have been so worried about you." he said quietly.

Kagome nodded and smiled against his shoulder. "I have noticed." she frowned. "Why is he here, when we left the inu city, it was the cat that let him out, i had nothing to do with it." she said not understanding the reason for the demons interest.

"I cannot tell you… perhaps it is vengeance because it was my father that imprisoned him, he is dead and i am his only true heir and you are mine." he said and eyes Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye. He felt bitterness still but pushed it aside when Kagome tightened her grasp on his arm.

"Sesshomaru, i'm not afraid, i know that we will be alright if we are together." she held onto that hope and gasped when he grasped her upper arm and pulled her to sit between his legs. She peered over to her sister to be sure that she truly was asleep and submitted to his repositioning. She laid her head back against his chest and he brought his arms around her to hold her against him.

"We will be. I will not allow him to take you from me." he whispered. His voice held an edge to it that made her heart thrum in her chest and Kagome tried to relax against the natural reaction to throw his hands off of her and run from him. She felt his larger frame and hard muscles and could not help but remember what she had seen earlier. She took a breath and chastised herself for being so childish.

Burying his nose in the scent of her, he breathed in deeply earning a surprised gasp, before leaning to her ear and puffing soft breaths against her. Each puff made her breath catch until she reached up and covered it, and save herself the embarrassment of being so turned on. Getting irritated, he grasped her hand and pulled it to rest on the side of his face and leaning into it. he took the shell of her ear in his mouth and sucked gently as she tried to keep her breaths quiet.

"Shh" he whispered and brought his hand up to cup her breast through the material of her priestess garb.

Kagome began to get nervous about how intimately that he was beginning to touch her. She felt his lips against her ear, cheek and chin kissing a slow line to her throat and back. The hand on her chest massaged her gently and when he pulled the robe apart to touch bare skin she grasped his wrist and tried to move his hand onto the fabric of her haori again and he growled.

"I'm nervous." she whispered as quietly as she could. Looking up at his amber eyes, she felt his desire and irritation at once. His hand still grasped bared flesh and she blushed.

"I am your mate, I will not hurt you." he answered her and she nodded.

"It's not about you hurting me, I am embarrassed… And a little scared." she said and Sesshomaru raised his brow.

"For almost a year I have been at your back, hating you and wanting you, there is no embarrassment between us, you are mine." he said and Kagome laughed Hollowly.

"For someone who mainly speaks with me, you certainly have a way with words…. You're telling me that entire time you were 'pretending' to hate me?" she turned not believing it.

"No it was genuine, sometimes I think about that time and clearly recall the want to fulfill every last threat to completion... I no longer wish you dead. "he admitted and she snorted.

"Well, I'm glad we ended up becoming friends. There were some pretty gruesome threats…" she recalled feeling, a little anxiously. Sesshomaru smirked and leaned to kiss the back of her neck and moved his hand back into her haori.

"The are other things on my mind as if late." he whispered. Kagome gasped and felt shivers through her as he massaged her gently. She bit her bottom lip and tried to relax.

"I see…." Kagome looked at her half demon son and thought about the next night, that was the new moon. She felt the energy dwindling from him and wondered if Sesshomaru truly would harm him if he was human. She knew one thing for sure, Inuyasha was going to have to live with this, with this one night where his strength and senses fail him, where he was human.

She didn't want him to be exposed to all of the enemies that Sesshomaru also fought because of his father's lifestyle. She decided to keep it from him, until Inuyasha himself decided to show him for himself. She hoped that this was right. But how,? It would be an entire night to distract him from Inuyasha. She looked down at the striped wrist that showed out of the collar of her houri and blushed red at the image that came to mind.

Kagome took a steady breath and brought her hand up to rest on his. He felt the acceptance of his latest advance and was surprised. "We do not get many nights like this. Let's enjoy the time we have." he urged her trying to press the boundaries that had been like a wall between them. He sented for anxiety and could not smell much more than the potent herb that the half demon had been given.

"It's not fair." she whispered and he felt his heart leap. She reached back to him and ran her blunt nails through his hair massaging his scalp and making him close his eyes in pleasure..

"No." he agreed

"We should be together whenever we want to be" she asked pulling a handful of his hair and making him growl content and lean to nibble her ear again.

"Yes." he growled in her ear and she felt the tremor of it through her entire body. Sesshomaru didn't know what had changed her mind but he hoped that she had begun to accept the things that were natural between mates. He had been hopeful, not wanting to push her too much and have her resentment when they did join.

"I will tell Kikyou that we will be building our own home tomorrow." she informed him, he actually withdrew his fondling hands and turned her around.

"Do you mean it?" he asked her urging her to tell him the truth of this matter. She nodded and reached out to place her hands on his shoulders before bringing her arms around him and embracing him warmly.

"I mean it, I need some space from my sister….and we need some place to be together. We could start tomorrow and be able to spend the night alone." she kissed his forehead and he took in a sharp breath at the implication.

"I will do everything In my power to make it so." he promised. Kagome felt guilty for having a pretense, especially when he was trying to be gentle and not push her too far too fast. Her eyes drifted to Inuyasha and she hoped that this was going to be enough to protect his secret.

"I love you." she said aloud, she meant it, to her it was pushing the inevitable, and he would be happy, so she didn't feel too terrible about it, if it worked to distract him

He was surprised every time he heard her confess her feelings for him. He had only said it once though he was sure she knew that she was his. He had never put too much thought into being in love, even with her as close as she was he wasn't sure if he was capable of love. He needed her, he wanted and desired her, but did he love her? He wasn't entirely sure, but he couldn't deny the need he felt when he heard her express the want to be with him as he had wanted. He had waited, wanted to brush aside her innocence and take the things he wanted as he had always done before.

She is breakable, she is not a demon, she is human, these were things that he was reminded of constantly and so he didn't push her as he would have a demoness. Since he had never bothered with them before, he wasn't ablaze with unbridled passion. For him, control had always been his ally and so he waited for her to give him some kind of sign that she was ready for him. Now that she was, he promised himself that nothing would stop him.

"You should sleep then, tomorrow is going to be a busy day." he said and Kagome looked at him and smiled thinking that he was joking. He shook his head when she tried to kiss him and pulled her to his chest and made her rest. " I mean it Kagome, you will need your rest." he hid the smirk but, in his mind he began to plan.

Seeing that he was truly disinterested in continuing, she snorted at his sudden denial and moved to lay down to sleep. He let her go and watched her as she drifted off, she suspected that he was ensuring that she did sleep. In the morning, Kagome woke up with Inuyasha, she was sprawled across her futon with Inuyasha laying on her chest. When she opened her eyes she had a mouthful of his silver hair and shifted to move him off of her.

He stirred and rubbed his eyes, opening his wide Amber eyes he looked at her and moved to press his nose to her chin. He kissed her and sat back knowing that she liked to get out of bed when she was awake. He liked to lay under the cover until he was more awake and so he didn't complain when she left him.

Kagome looked for Shippo, and Kikyou and could not find them. She didn't want to leave Inuyasha alone and so she went back in and got him dressed for the day and went out to look for Sesshomaru. " What could he be doing…. Do you hear that Inuyasha?" she asked and Inuyasha nodded.

"There."he yawned and pointed toward the sound of wood cracking. Kagome thought about the things that would make that sound, she thought of Sesshomaru's temper and the many trees he'd punched to the ground. She wasn't disappointed seeing him creating a timber yard of trees that used to be planted firmly in the ground.

Sesshomaru, heard her enter the clearing he was making. He had thought of the things he had seen them do during the time he'd watched and found the job to be mind numbing. He was getting carried away with the trees but he considered the other priestess and thought she could use whatever timber was left over. Turning to her he brushed his bangs back from his face. He saw that the pup was with her and made an effort to keep the disdain from his eyes.

"I do not require your help. I will summon you when I am done." he said abruptly and started back to the work he was doing.

"...At all? I thought that we might a little be closer to my sister." she tried but was met with a look that said he was not going to talk about it. She tried to let it go. " is there something special about this place?" she asked and he nodded.

"We are far enough away that we cannot be overheard." he said simply. Kagome blushed and decided that she really didn't need to have him elaborate any further.

"Oh, kami, Sesshomaru….. did you see where Shippo and Kikyou went?" she asked trying to change the subject. He shrugged.

"They left in secret, I do not care as long as they are not bothering me." he replied and she watched as he began to grab each of the felled trees and break away branches and bark better than she was able to do with her small saw. She looked at Inuyasha who was drifting off in her arms. " you really don't want my help?" she asked and he turned.

"I will not allow a woman to build my shelter. There is nothing else. Let me do my work." he said bluntly and Kagome balked at his blunt rejection. She knew he was serious about the things he would and would not let her help with. He was set in his ways and was capable so she decided to wait on this particular issue. She wanted to help, she had been taught that she was supposed to help her husband with the chores and jobs that needed to be done, he wasn't her husband, he wasn't even human, so she had no grounds to make him accept her help.

Kagome took Inuyasha back to her sister's house. She still hadn't told Kikyou that she was going to move out. It was barely sunrise and already everyone around her was bustling with activity. It was mid morning by the time Kikyou returned and she and Shippo got to work immediately in a potion.

Kikyou was cursing at Sesshomaru under her breath and to her surprise Shippo was encouraging her.

"You are right about that one, I've seen him do some pretty scary things." he egged her on.

"..And now he is going to expect to be able to stay with us. I can't stop him, and Kagome won't, we have to protect Inuyasha's secret, we just have to." Kikyou grabbed the side of her head and groaned. " I feel like this is going to be all for nothing."

"Kikyou, I have an idea." Kagome approached her sister and Kikyou regarded her doubtfully. "Let me distract him, I can keep him from coming around while the new moons effects are on Inuyasha." she said and Kikyou sat back and gave Kagome her full attention.

"How are you going to do that?" she asked uncertain she liked where this was going.

"I'm moving out." she said and Kikyou laughed

Sesshomaru was done with the skeleton of the structure and was beginning to work on the siding and roof. He called Jakken back to him and the toad brought and arm full of leather strips that he was using for fasteners and ties. Jakken looked at the shell of this hut and was sulking.

"My Lord, are you really planning on staying here?" he asked and Sesshomaru shook his head.

"The structure will be completed first, but by tonight yes, this will be my dwelling." he said and Jakken looked at the high doors and walls and was impressed that he built his home to fit his growing stature.

"What about the demon?" Jakken said thumbing the metal that weighed his pocket down. " surely that wasn't the last of him!" he squaked.

"Tonight i solidify my claim on the woman, he will not be able to steele her from me if my scent is on her permanently. I will do this to protect her." he said and Jakken stifled the eye roll, he remembered what it was like trying to win his own mate, his Lord's denial of his true desire was a little silly to the toad.

"Yes, my Lord, that is wise." he conceded trying to encourage him. Jakken sighed and wondered if they would ever begin their next journey. His Lord worked tirelessly into the early afternoon. Jakken was both impressed and unsettled by the accurateness of his Lords replication of the woman's hut. Walking inside the only thing different was the ceiling was taller and the room a bit wider. Jakken looked around and was brushed out of the way of his Lord carrying in a few more planks. Jekken watched him get onto his knees and begin to construct some kind of ladder, Jakken tried to guess what it was but his Lord blocked his line of sight and brushed him away when he tried to peer around him.

Finally done building his shelving he placed it against the wall just as it was in the other human dwelling. He looked around and could not see anything out of place, except that it was bare. He didn't know much about what went inside one of these and he didn't really look around the previous night while inside it. "I need firs and straw for a bed." he said aloud.

"Sleeping on straw? That just won't do." a child's voice penetrated the silence of the room and Sesshomaru turned warily to look at large violet eyes that looked at him smugly. " i like your house, its very simple…. Humble beginnings. I really like it. This will serve as your armoury one day." she said and Sesshomaru chose to ignore her prophesying in favor of the present.

"Humans sleep this way, it is natural for them." Sesshomaru said offhandedly. She shook her head and snapped her fingers.

"Niesha!" she called and opened a portal. The winged demon stepped out from the portal and looked at Sesshomaru with some nervousness. Sesshomaru looked at him with loathing recalling the scar that this demon put on Kagome, everything inside of him wanted to break the wings off of this stupid bird but he held his anger and waited for whatever the girl was going to push off on him. "Stop being a bully Sess, Niesha was only doing as i commanded him, besides this time we come bearing a gift." she pointed to the portal and magically carried out an elegant futon. Which Sesshomaru almost refused.

"What is this?" he asked not wanting to be toyed with by this kami.

"Think of it as a wedding present, to your clan the night of the mating ritual represents making your partnership concrete, am i right?" she asked and he nodded.

"I do not know what a wedding is, but i know that Kagome is mine and i will not allow another to touch her….. That demon you mentioned wouldn't happen to be the condor of the eastern mountain that my father defeated six years ago would it?" he asked and Violet shrugged.

"I do not know, i cannot see him when i look for him. Though from your question i can see that he'd made an appearance. Did you receive my aide?" she asked and Sesshomaru looked at her as though she were stupid. "... no, that's a no...Jakken?" she asked and Jakken stayed out of sight terrified of being cursed. Violet sighed. "he has my gift to you, see that you get it when you require more help then you are able." she said and Sesshomaru held up his hand.

"If Jakken has not given it to me, it is only because i do not want it. As for your mating gift, i will accept, only because i do not have another way to make her a bed with the rain and cold making the straw wet and mold." he said and Violet clapped her hands together, happy that he would at least accept this one gift.

"Great….you will accept my aide one way or another, but for now this will be perfect… can i reccomend something?" she asked and Sesshomaru looked like he did not want to know but nodded anyway to make her go away. " i think you should get her a gift." she said simply.

"I am building her a home, hunting for her every day and seeing that she is warm through the nights…. And you want me to get her a gift, why?" he looked at her like he truly didn't see the need for it. Violet nearly groaned.

"Niesha, you take this one." Violet said making her winged companion stop in his tracks and force him to meet the unappreciative glare from the inu.

"...But, i am not mated." Niesha said holding up his hands to show he had nothing to add.

"You are always going on dates…. Tell him how you woo the females, it's quite interesting." Violet said waving him forward and making Niesha blush red and clear his throat.

Sesshomaru raised his brow and waited for the explanation, the winged demon was searching with nonsensical noises for some reason for him to get her a present and explaining to him how he attracts women. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and Niesha sighed relieved that the man wasn't taking him seriously. It was hard enough to get a date with the girl always meddling in his affairs. "You see, i approach a woman and present her with a token of my…. Affection and….. Then, well you are a man, you understand….. It's about convincing her to be…. Enthusiastic….." he tried

"My mate has asked to be alone with me, she knows that i desire her, and that i will never allow her to be with another. This established, i will go back to work now." he was short with them, he knew, but they were being ridiculous, Kagome was not expecting a gift, why should he give her one, the labor he was putting into their dwelling would be gift enough.

Violet saw the line of his back and knew he was done entertaining them by his posture alone, "There is one more thing…. Something that i can warn you about and may interrupt your…. Night. There is a party of demon hunters traveling to the village at the base of this mountain they are entering the village now." she said and created a magic orb that showed the image of the leather clad hunters. He snorted at them and Violet shook her head.

"I will not be interrupted by any one." he said and Violet shook her head again.

"Stubborn man. At least make an attempt to care, they are coming after you." she crossed her arms and Niesha gestured to get her attention.

"Lady Violet, sometimes a demon, has to be a demon. He will not lose to these weak humans." Niesha said and for the first time Sesshomaru nodded his appreciation for the third perspective, he didn't forget about the scar, one day it would be repaid twofold, he promised himself that this would be made true.

"See that you don't, i require a judge and you have barely touched your work yet. See that you start soon." she said and Sesshomaru tried to block her out with busying himself with more work. Violet said her goodbyes and left him in a flash of light.

"Such a dramatic girl." he said annoyed. He looked at the futon and considered it. In his mother's tent he had slept on firs, he wanted that again but the futon was pristine, white cloth and looked as though it would be comfortable. He knelt and considered it before slowly moving onto it and kneeling on the edge, immediately he felt his body relax and he decided that this was going to be perfect. He pulled himself away from the cushion and returned to the building of his new home.

"Hey, Jin!" a male's voice rang through the village market place. The old healer looked up at the group that walked into the village carrying their weapons s it in broad daylight. He nodded and bowed in greeting.

"Haku, I didn't expect you until tomorrow." he said looking up at his old friend. He had always been tall for one of their countrymen and Jin strained his neck looking up at the smiling man. " you have greyed, my old friend." he said and pointed at the wisps of grey in the black mat of hair on his head.

Haku brushed his friends jesting aside and got to the reason he came. "I was just in a village east of here that had similar problems, sighting and then trying to capture a demon like you described in the letter. 40 men killed."

"With this particular demon, I do not doubt that. He has been terrorizing the countryside for almost a year, though he has stopped killing humans, he's taken possession of one our priestesses and beaten my assistant on two different occasions... I tell you he hasn't been right since. He requested your action in this matter." him said explaining the situation to the best of his knowledge.

Haku considered his words carefully. "You say one of your priestesses? Are there more than one here. That is extremely rare." he said curious.

"They are twins. The demon has taken possession of the elder of the two so much that she is deluded…. It's not right. I can see that she is trapped with that demon, we all can and he is truly terrifying. He ransacked the village before settling there on the mountain, the priestess was able to bind him there but as a result she has lost herself. Help us to free her." he urged his friend.

"Demons have no business in this territory…. You don't have to convince me to exterminate him. Is it the inu demon with the mark if the crescent on his brow?"Haku asked. Jin nodded and Haku smirked and drew his blade.

"I have waited for my chance to fight the last of the great line of silver inu. I will kill him tonight, tell your apprentice that he will lead us to the demons lair and we will kill him." he said and resheathed his sword with a snap.

Hojo was perplexed at the news. " I can't go back there." he said finally. Moments had passed in consideration and thinking of the demons wrath, he didn't trust that they would kill him before the demon tried to eat him. He had seen the way he'd stared, with black hatred and was sickened by the thought of falling victim to it.

" Hojo be serious, lead the demon slayers to his lair. He will be dispatched, Haku is the best in the field of demon hunter's." Jin said thinking that the boy truly was going insane. Hojo looked at him with resentment and shook his head.

"I will draw them a map, that is the farthest I want to go." he said, not joking in the least. Jin was amazed and began to recount the times that the boy had ever truly been beaten up…..twice and both times at the hand of that demon. He sighed and shook his head at the pettiness. At least they would me minus one demon in the village region.

Haku received the map with a laugh. Jin shook his head and Haku tore it in two. "So, your apprentice is a coward. I will not go by map. Where is he?"

Jin smirked and pointed to the boys room. Hojo was sulking again and it had even begun to annoy him. Especially since the day before, when he had been threatened. Haku laughed and barged into the boy's room and threw him over his shoulder to get him out. Hojo struggled, much to his masters embarrassment and Jin pointed to where the priestesses came down from their home.

Haku smirked and looked at the afternoon sun. Pointing into the sky he called out with a loud shout. " By sundown the demon will be dead." he gripped the hilt of his weapon and called his men to action.

Kagome wandered back to the place where Sesshomaru was working. She was startled by his progress and more so when he invited her in. she looked around at the place that he had built and was both amazed and delighted that he had designed it to be as tall as he was. She had thought that it was silly that he had to crouch to be inside her hut. "This is incredible. It took days for me and Kikyou to build this much." she said.

"I know….. I watched you." he said offhand and she couldn't deny that. She recalled the cold stare as she worked and was glad that they were past that stage. He greeted her by nodding in her direction and completing his task before turning and going to the place she had decided to sit. He was pleased that she was drawn to the place he had built with her in mind. He recalled her love of sitting by the window and had made with a ledge to sit in when he was bored. She sat beside it and leaned over the ledge just as he had imagined her doing, and he was drawn to sit by her.

"I suppose you did. This is really special. Thank you." she said meaning it from her heart. She saw his features relax at the show of gratitude and she smiled finally feeling as though things were going right between them. She looked around the empty space and imagined where her things would go. "You really did this all by yourself?" she said amazed.

"Jakken helped." he acknowledged and Kagome snorted. He smirked seeing her amusement and thought about how funny it was to see Jakken try and figure out what he was doing as he was building, the endless stream of questions and the idol worship. He had to admit that having the toad around wasn't all bad but at times he was really tired of being put on a pedestal.

"I'm sure that made him happy." she giggled.

"He was without choice….. But yes, he was enthusiastic... until i made him carry planks." he said and Kagome laughed outright. He looked at her heatedly and saw her active interest in his work. He felt pride, was content with her reaction and was looking forward to spending their hours in each other's company, alone. He hadn't felt the pleasure of being alone with Kagome since he realized that he did want her. Jakken was a constant, the fox was not so much of a problem, but the woman was a nightmare. He wanted away from all of them to be left alone with the only one of them he liked to be around. Kagome looked at him now giving him her full attention and he felt as though he was finally getting what he wanted.

"If you are ready to have me, i will get my things, i didn't suppose you wanted Inuyasha to be with us tonight, so i made arrangements with Kikyou." she said trying to hide the stain of blush on her cheeks. He nodded.

"Go and get your things, when you come i will be ready." he said feeling the anticipation in his chest. She was beautiful, blushing slightly and meeting his heated stare with one of her own. She bit her lip and he saw her eyes trail down his form before she turned and left the hut. He smirked and watched her through the doorway until she was out of sight. He turned to the futon and thought about the coming night.

It was a new moon, he could feel the natural drain of power that his people experienced on this night he stretched his limbs and scented for any kind of disturbance in his territory. His attention was peaked by a group of humans that began to approach him.

Slipping from his new home, he leapt into the air and drew his energy into himself as he did when he stalked Kagome through the forest. She had become wary of him and looked for him with her power. He had almost mastered the concealment of his energy, and so when he landed, he was undetected by the group of humans that gathered halfway down the road from the women's hut.

"The demon is fierce. You will need the biggest weapons and the strongest of your men." Sesshomaru heard the voice of the healer and was almost amused that he had only waited a day to try and return for Kagome. It seemed as if he had brought a small army, even after he had been merciful.

He thought about Violet's warning and sighed thinking he would never catch a break. He flexed his claws and reminded himself to use his sword when the irritation made him dig his nails dig into the bark of the tree he was standing behind.

"We need to comb the forest. Should we notify the priestesses?" he asked Hojo.

"Absolutely not, they will tell the demon and he will be ready for us. We need to catch him by surprise." Hojo said hushed as though it would help. Sesshomaru scoffed and was about to jump into the center of the group and judge them all when the leader took Hojo by the collar of his haori..

"I am not a coward like you. If we find this demon. I will fight him as a man. We are not demons who use deception and lies to make our kill. This is a line of true demon slayers that reaches back into the dawn of our great nation. Show us respect boy." Haku said and threw Hojo down. Sesshomaru smirked and decided not to kill them.

Taking a step into the forest he decided to have some fun before Kagome was ready for him. "Well, well human. How will you try to catch me?" he wondered and put some distance between them. He went to the place where he could see Kagome and saw that the women were content and doting in the pup as usual. He growled a low tone to Shippo and the kit looked up at him.

Shippo saw Sesshomaru and heard his signal when he approached. Knowing that the stoic Lord would not grace him with a thought if he didn't need him, he went to the dog demon and bowed. "Shippo there are demon hunters inter forest. Do not let the women out of this clearing. It is my command of you." he said and Shippo nodded.

Shippo felt fire in his chest from the remembrance of his family's murders. The demon hunters were a fierce clan and he hated them. He looked up at the inuyoukai and saw the amusement in his eyes. Shippo shivered thinking of the few things that he had seen Sesshomaru smile over. "What will you do?" he asked.

"I will judge them." he said.

 **AN: Thank you for reading and being apart of this journey. I wanted to keep writing but i wanted to save the fighting and romance until i could finish the scene without a 10,000 word count and a super huge chapter for my beta to work on…. Anyway i will update again soon! Have a great day and take care!**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai, out**


	26. why are you in my territory?

Haku climbed to the top of a great ceader to get a look at the terrane. He noticed marks left by the claws of the demon and smiled taking a second to feel the gouges in the bark of the great trunk. "This is the sign of great luck. Genji, Saito, Renka the demon has been here recently, maybe even while we were talking, he is cunning, but I would expect no less." the slayer looked for any other leavings; like hair or extra markings, he found none and smiled. "Are you here for me then?" he wondered and kept climbing. At the top he looked out and saw that they were about a third of the way up the mountain, the surrounding area was mainly forested, with undergrowth and few foothills and clearings that divided the condensed forest.

"Fitting for a priestesses, reclusive, but,far away from the village if an emergency were to happen, what has driven you out here?" he said and looked at smoke that was wafting up in one of the clearings. He drew an imaginary line with his finger,in and connected it with the road and nodded knowing that it must come from the priestesses home.

"Perhaps we should pay you a visit?" he wondered aloud and smirked. Thinking about the inuyoukaI he'd dealt, with he assumed that the youkaI had bonded with the priestess, and thus was unwilling to part with her. This was common, demons possessed and tried to steal the souls and hearts of young maidens constantly, it was a wonder she was still alive knowing that the inu demon feasted on human flesh.

Hojo watched the old man with resentment. Eyes drifting to the forest around him, he felt fear like he had never known it before. He hadn't wanted to come back here until he saw the demon dead, that had been the idea, but now, it was so far past anything he was okay with, he just knew death was around the next corner. He will eat me, he said that he would let me go once, and then he'd eat me Hojo was startled and laughed at by the biggest of the four demon hunters.

"Are you so scared, that you can't look at your own shadow?" Ginji laughed and Hojo sputtered with irritation.

"Y-you don't know what you're dealing with!" he said and Ginji shook his head and withdrew his curved blade.

"Shut your mouth punk, you don't know what you're dealing with, I have hunted demons since I was able to walk, I will not lose to a dog demon." he said and Haku silenced him as he came down from the tree.

"This is not common dog demon, this line is fierce. This has to be the son of the inu no taisho. It's said that his temper is even blacker than his father's and he has never left a victim alive…. It's a wonder he didn't kill you either time he beat you…." he raised his brow at the boy and Hojo began to shake with rage.

"This demon needs to die! Are we going to kill him, or talk about him like simpering village girls." Hojo snapped and tried to grab Ginji's sword. Ginji punched him aside and resheathed his sword.

"Don't you worry about this, we will find him." Ginji laughed. Renka sighed and shook her head. She had been quiet, letting the boys do the talking while she observed the surroundings. Venturing off the trail she began to get a good idea of when and how the demon moved. Looking up she saw the scrapes and gouges from his travel while the forest floor remained pristine.

She signaled to the group and Ginji went after her. They were a team, Haku rarely required help, but the new couple was wary of letting the other go go alone into battle.

It wasn't long before they began to see the evidence of terrible rage and carnage. There were entire sections of forest that the trees were lying as a jumble of shards and gouges in the ground made by a large transformed inuyoukai. Ginji looked at the size of prints left there and was astounded and brought to attention for the magnitude of their coming battle.

"Renka, these tracks are giant. What inu demon could be this large?" he asked and Renka laughed hollowly.

"The silver inu are a legends race, my grandfather was killed by the general over a hundred years ago… I never thought I would even see one in my lifetime, they are rare." she said and withdrew a vial of canine pheromones. "This should draw his attention." she said and uncapped the vial.

The scent of a female's heat wafted through the forest and Sesshomaru stopped and scented for the humans proximity. They had begun to travel into his forest and he nearly laughed realizing that they were trying to attract his attention. "What a feeble attempt… but I will see what you have to offer humans." he chuckled and felt as though he were playing a game with the humans. "There are five of you, I will test you all." he said and looked up at the retreating sun. he sented for Kagome and found her still where he had left her and was content to entertain himself after the day of boredom.

Speed was his ally, strength his friend as he circled them silently, moving between trees to see the so called exterminators. The man had a curved blade with a spiked mace mace and the woman a long poisons that hung off of her like jewels. He smirked through the scent she used was nothing but nausea worthy. He imagined them having extracted the scent from the foulest evil bitch they could kill, and calling it bate.

Renka drew her blade and readied for an appearance from the demon. She felt the hairs on her neck stand on edge knowing that, though she couldn't see him. they were being watched. "Ginji, he's here." she said and felt the adrenaline pulse through her. She gasped at the sound of a limb snap and blocked the impact when that limb came flying at her head. Ginji moved to her, drew his blade and gripped his mace ready to fight.

Sesshomaru was amused and watched as the two charged at the place he had been when he threw the branch. He appeared behind them and gripped the backs of both leather suits and slammed them back against the ground. The two yelled in fear and looked up at the demon with eyes filled with determination. Rolling to their feet the pair sized him up and he bared his teeth at the challenge. "You are in my forest." he said and the man stepped in front of the woman to protect her from his anger.

"You have been terrorizing the countryside, and have taken possession of a priestess, you are unfit to live demon." he yelled and Sesshomaru growled making the man yelled in fury and charge with a fast overhand strike with the mace and follow through with a slash with the curved blade. Easily stepping out of range each time, Sesshomaru watched the edge in the man's eyes as he missed each strike.

The woman was not idle, stepping in with her claymore and causing him to step off balance and readjust his movement to watch both of their stances. The woman drew a vial with a putrid gas, and the scent wafted into the air and into the nose of the inu she was fighting. Sesshomaru felt the burn on his skin and hair as the gas began to work on him. He summoned his aura to the surface and with a single explosion of energy neutralized the poison and gripped the woman's hand as she drew another vial and threw her into the bushes beside them.

Ginji was impressed by the demon, he was fast, agile and met them with the same ferocity that he brought him. Ginji realized that the demon wasn't fighting back, only dodging his blows and diverting their energy to tangle into one another. Ginji watched helplessly as Renka went flying off to the side and made an attempt to slash his side with the moment of exposure he was given.

Smirking, Sesshomaru saw the man's arm move to the sword, and as he drew the blade Sesshomaru stepped back into him and caught his movement with an inside to out block that he converted into a wrist lock and he put the man on his face. "why are you here?" he asked again and the man yelled in pain.

"Please don't kill him." the woman came out stumbling and looking at Sesshomaru with pleading eyes.

"Don't! you can't reason with a demon." Ginji said and Sesshomaru gripped his wrist tighter to shut him up.

"Speak woman." he said and Renka gasped. Coming to him she looked at the wrist lock and then at the man that held her love in his clutches. Sesshomaru was curious, and not wanting to kill such prideful creatures for nothing. She looked at him with the same determination that Kagome had used to shake him awake and he found himself willing to listen to her, even if she smelled like the foulest inu demoness in existence.

"I love him, please don't take him from me. We were sent to kill you but we cannot defeat you as we are. Let us go please." she asked and Sesshomaru scoffed.

"You expect me to let you go after you declare that your intention is my death. What will I receive if you leave now with your life?" he said and Renka looked around for a reason, anything that he might want and she rummaged through her vials and withdrew an elegant vile in the shape of a rose.

"This is my most valuable perfume, it will be yours if you allow us to leave." she said.

Sesshomaru looked at the perfume and released the man and Ginji gripped his shoulder and groaned in pain. The demon approached the woman and she trembled as he towered over her. He reached to the vial and uncapped the cork and scented the essence of honey and wildflowers. "Would my human like it?" he asked and the woman gaped at him as he took the vile and considered the scent of Kagome's form. He sniffed the contents again and looked at her expecting her swift reply.

"I have not met a woman yet that did not covet it." she said and he tucked it in his chest pocket.

"You may leave." he said and Renka sighed her relief and rushed to Ginji to see to his arm.

"I'm okay Renka, really." he smiled and looked up at her. Renka hugged him around the middle and helped him to stand. GinjI and Renka walked back to the trail to the place where their group had parted ways and found the place to be abandoned. "We really messed this one up." Ginji said bitterly.

"But we lived." Renka said and looked into the forest hoping that the demons mercy extended onto her allies.

Sesshomaru raced through the forest and scented for the next of the slayers. "Two down, three to go. He smirked and felt the treasure he had gained from his last battle. He was hoping Kagome would like it. He could imagine her wearing the scent and felt the anticipation for the things to come.

The three had split again into two groups, the leader was toting Hojo toward the woman's hut. Sesshomaru wanted to intercept them before Kagome had to get upset about the demon slayers. If the next were as distracted as the first two, he was going to be done with them within the hour.

Saito laid in wait for the moment the demon would pass him, he had tracked the route to the woman's hut and with his leader walking straight to the demons claim, he was sure to run directly beside him. He held his breath and concealed his scent with mud and scrapings from the surrounding area. Saito heard the first of his alarm system sound of with the ringing of a small bell. He gripped the length of chain that secured his flail and held his breath waiting for the next alarm to sound off his warning.

There was no second sound. Saito peered around the trunk of the cedar he was hiding behind and looked right into the black armour that covered Sesshomaru's chest.

"A very interesting trap. Too bad I could see it." Sesshomaru said bored. This man was different from the other two. He smelled of blood and the scent of his malice wet Sesshomaru's appetite for blood.

Saito gaped at the creature in front of him. Looking up he was fixed with an amused stare and he felt his blood began to boil. "Die demon." he said and lunged swinging his flail and wrapping his wrist when He blocked his face.

The chain stopped when he pulled back. Smiling Saito reached into his back pouch and blew dust into his eyes. Sesshomaru snorted and began to feel a shards of glass in his lungs and coughed, letting the human go momentarily. Saito used the opportunity to lunge at him with his flail meaning to strike and kill him with the force of his weapon, but as it neared the demons head, he caught it out of the air.

"Damn you!" he said angry at his failure and made a kick at his chest.

"Why are you in my forest?" he growled Getting irritated with this one. He coughed again and decide that he didn't like this feeling. The human tried again to strike him and he caught him in the air by his own throat this time.

"All demons will die at my hand. I hate you all. Just the fact that you've taken a human, makes you worthy of death and if she is with child. She will die after you to save the earth from a disgusting half breed." he spat in his face and shoved a blade into Sesshomaru's chest.

Sesshomaru got angry when he mentioned Kagome. "You will never touch her. You think this dagger can kill me? I have slayed dragons, fought entire armies and withstood the trials of a kami. If I had wanted to kill you I would have the moment you stepped onto my land. Since you have shown me the filth of your heart I have decided to judge you." he said and drew his blade shoving it through the human's chest.

Saito eyes widened when the blade pierced him, he looked down at the painless wound and then at the demon. "Death to all demons." he said as he was drawn into the blade.

When he was gone Sesshomaru looked to the women's hut sented for the last of the demon slayers.

Kagome was nearly done with the majority packing of her things into a series of bags that they had used to travel. Inuyasha followed her with longing eyes. "mother, I want to go." he said and Kagome knelt to comfort him, again.

"Inuyasha, I will be down the trail in a hut exactly like this one. I am only a short walk away… BUT make sure you bring Shippo if you want to visit tomorrow morning if I am not back to visit you first." she smiled and Inuyasha whimpered.

"gone forever?" he asked and Kagome shook her head.

"I will make you a place to live in my new home, you are welcome any time you want to come, or stay if you wish." she said making Inuyasha squeal happily.

"with Sessh too?" he wondered and she nodded.

Inuyasha helped her get packed after that and was happy about the move. The half demon made himself a nuisance by throwing things onto her packs that he thought she would want. She laughed and tried to put things back that she knew she could come back for when she needed it, she wasn't planning on staying away from her sister, they were only a few minutes walk through the forest. The dwellings were even parallel to each other and if she walked out to the edge of her clearing she could almost see the hut she and her sister built.

Kagome peered out of the hut at the lowering sun and was nervous that she was talking so long to get her things. "maybe I should go now and get the rest of my things in the morning?" she wondered aloud and Shippo came out of the house to grab ahold of her pant leg to stop her. Kagome looked down and saw a serious look in her adopted sons face.

"Shippo what's going on?" she asked and he frowned.

"can't you stay until Inuyasha changes. It would be easier if we knew he was completely concealed before you left.

"and what if Sesshomaru comes for me? He will be able to tell if Inuyasha is human, he will notice the smell." she said and Shippo shook his head.

"I brought some more of this, smell." he said and Kagome sniffed the herb and smelled nothing.

"what is it?" she asked and Shippo smiled.

"it is dog root, they can't stand the smell of it." he said and pointed out Inuyasha cringing away from the root and beginning to cry bitterly while covering his nose.

"put it away until he's human…. I don't want him to cry like that, he's just a baby." she said and went to grasp Inuyasha in her arms. "I think it's a….. Do you really think that it's a good idea to keep this from him, I hate to lie, and moving out for the sake of keeping a secret feels as bad as lying outright, to me." she said and Shippo shook his head.

"do you know what dog demons do to weak creatures? They eat them. Do you want Inuyasha to live?" he urged and Kagome felt like it was wrong.

Within the hour the sun was beginning to set and Kagome heard some kind of commotion in the forest. It was close but she could not see the things that was transpiring in the forest. She suspected that it was Sesshomaru and reclused into the hut with Inuyasha clinging to her.

Inside the forest, Haku heard the commotion of his comrade and knew that he had been beaten. He gripped Hojos shoulder, stopping him from walking further. "Rena, Genji, Saito, are you all beaten?" he wondered aloud. There was a flash of white and Haku was caught off guard by the demon that struck him from the side. Haku lost hold of the boy and tried to dodge and turn the demons momentum around on him, but he stopped in mid motion and stepped away from him redirecting his movement and moving to kick his feet out from under him. Haku jumped back and readied for the battle of his lifetime.

"Demon, I have prepared to fight you since the day I was able to walk. I will not let this chance escape me." hake cried out with pride and elation. "I am Kohaku of the demon slayers tribe west of here." he said with pride. .

Sesshomaru was amused by the pride he felt in the man's aura, he looked for the healer and saw that he had taken off into the forest and he let him gain some distance before the chase "Kohaku, you will get your battle. Stand now and prepare your heart to be judged by my mighty sword tokijin. I will not use my claws on you, draw your sword." he said and Haku dropped into a stance rasping the hilt of his sword and making himself ready for the onslaught.

"with this blade made of a dragon's fang I will end you demon." Haku said and inspected his mighty sword. Sesshomaru felt the power from the blade and was surprised. He glance up at the setting sun and wondered if he would be finished before sundown, or have to go and wake her after he was done. He decided that his amusement could last and he would retire soon enough.

"come then, I have other things to see to this night." Sesshomaru drew his blade and watched the demon slayer.

The clash of swords rang through the forest and only the cries of battle could be heard over it. Sesshomaru fended off the attacks with some difficulty. He was surprised and delighted with the attacks that the human used. He watched a perfect flat snap that struck the space in front of his nose and stepped to the side to strike his exposed offside ribs. The warrior J-hooked around him, lessening the impact to his side and turned to his left making Sesshomaru turn into a shot that nicked the skin of his arm.

"You are the only human to wound me. I would hate to fall at the hands of such a small creature. "he touched the place on his arm that the blade had hit him. The blood was lessening even as he spoke from his regenerative abilities.

"I plan to do more then wound you demon." he lunged and Sesshomaru had to sidestep a downward strike and fast follow through. He smiled and turned his blade to hit him with the hilt across the back of the head sending him flying forward.

"Kohaku. You are no match I could kill you at any time. Even now. "he said and proved it by lunging for him and grasping him by the front of his leather suit and letting him dangle above the ground. The eyes that looked back at him were filled with determination.

Haku took his shorter blade from his chest strap, and struck the demons arm again and, using the moment of distraction, jumped backwards and refocused on his technique. The demon was toying with him, he could feel the smug confidence that meant he wasn't worried at all about being killed by him, and the words that echoed in his head were messing with his concentration. I could kill you at any time, he had said, then why don't you? Haku wondered and lunged forward with a solid slice and cut only air.

The night came slowly and Kagome watched the transformation of her half demon son and was amazed that he was so angelic as a human boy. Kagome leaned to kiss him when she was leaving and he received her by clinging to her and screaming when she tried to leave. Unable to form speech as he did normally he resorted to crying until Kikyou came over to assist her with his tantrum.

"Shh Inuyasha, there is no reason to cry I will be back in the morning to see you." she cooed and Inuyasha just cried louder. Shippo came to the rescue and held up a wooden horse he had been working on. Inuyasha grabbed it and held it up to his eyes to see it. He smiled and swung it around in his flying fist. Kikyou was relieved and looked at her sister. "Kagome you should go now, what if he comes for you?" she asked and Kagome nodded.

Shippo tried to stop her but Kagome gave him a look that said she could take care of herself. "Shippo don't be so overprotective, Sesshomaru's right here in the forest if anything happens he's here for me." she laughed at his nervous grasping and diverted him with a task to help Kikyou with Inuyasha.

"But Kagome, lord Sesshomaru told me-" he started and Kagome turned and regarded Shippo.

"Is there something I should know about?" she asked giving the fox kit her full attention. Shippo stammered out an explanation and tried to convince her, but she didn't buy it.

"Okay…. there are demon hunters in the forest, and lord Sesshomaru told me to keep you here until he was done-." Shippo admitted and Kagome looked horrified. Shippo saw her line of sight and groaned inwardly when Kagome ran into the forest. "he's going to kill me." he said and gripped his head on both sides.

Kagome ran to her newly build home and dropped her things inside the door and began to look around the clearing. The noise had faded and she walked out to the trees and drew her power to reach out for her demon. She felt his power like a beacon and went towards it.

Kagome was nearly to the place where the sound of battling rang through the woods when she was grabbed from behind. She could not see the person who held her, his arms pinned hers to her side and she was only able to gasp before a hand clamped firmly over her mouth and effectively quieted her.

Hojo backed away from the fighting and hauled Kagome along with him. She fought him but her strength compared to his was laughable and he overpowered her easily making her walk with him or be dragged, he really didn't care at this point. Looking around he fought through the dense undergrowth to find the trail back to the village.

Sesshomaru was distracted by the scent of his human walking toward him, when her scent began to retreat panic took him and he tried to pick out the scent of fear through the chaotic thrum of adrenaline terror and determination from his own opponent. Looking for a quick way out he lunged for the demon slayer and was met with a fierce defense that nearly made him sweat. The demon slayer held his ground still, not giving him a chance to grab him again. He deflected a strong shot to the side with the flat edge of his blade and danced around the demons blade as it sliced air around him at a speed he had never before encountered.

Haku felt the difference in the demons concentration in the hurried movements and too perfect strikes that were an inch from ending his life with every breath. Haku had trained for this, had taken on many powerful demons but none of them had been so fierce as the demon who, though his features were calm, was like a raging ice storm before him. His eyes were cool embers that locked on him with every confidence that he would win in their fight.

Sesshomaru sented for Kagome, and was beginning to feel dread when she didn't stop, though she was far past the point where she would normally. He smelled nothing, and could feel nothing from her now that the binding curse was gone. Seeing the humans will to fight, he was forced to handle this matter with all seriousness. "I, Sesshomaru, am ending this battle now." he announced.

Haku laughed and saw the demon look away from him, he charged and was deflected and grabbed by the collar of his suit. "You are distracted, demon." Haku used his dagger to slice a thin line on Sesshomaru's cheek.

"There is some one else that needs my attention." he said and blocked the strike to the throat the demon slayer delivered

"The woman you have possessed? No doubt that healer's apprentice is taking her to be exorcised." Haku said with resentment in his voice.

Sesshomaru growled and gripped the man's arm hard, making him wince in pain and drop the dagger. "You will be judged by tokijin. If you are unworthy you will be cast into the dungeons of a cruel and twisted kami." he said and stabbed the man through the stomach.

Haku felt the blade and closed his eyes to embrace death. Death eluded him. Opening his eyes he felt the withdrawal of the blade and was dropped to the ground. The demon began to walk away. "What happened?" he called. The demon paused.

"I have won this battle. You are found worthy" he said and began to walk away.

Haku couldn't take it, the demon was walking away from him and he still had no clue on why he was alive. "What if I am worthy?" he called.

"Then you keep your life." Sesshomaru said and was about to take off when the man called him back one more time. "What is it now!" he demanded and the man got to his feet and bowed to him, Sesshomaru groaned and began to turn again.

"I have one question for you, why are you going after that human priestess? You are a taiyoukai, I have never seen one of your kind poses a human." he asked and Sesshomaru shook his head.

"I do not have to answer to a human. I have won this fight." he said and Haku threw himself at his feet and bowed with his forehead on the ground.

"Answer me, please. Why are you letting me live?" Haku urged the demon who was looking at him surprised.

"It is simple. To kill you would hurt Kagome, I must go to her now. Leave my mountain with your men and do not come back here, I have no quarrel with you now." he said and left him in the blink of an eye.

"With my men…. We survived." he said and shook his head as he got up from the ground. Haku was humbled, he took his dagger from the ground and looked in wonder at the silent forest around him.

Sesshomaru raced to the place where her scent was strongest. It had been almost twenty minutes since he had first scented her. She was close. He could smell the faint odor of her herbs and feeling her terror as if it were his own, heard her scream in terror. He felt his heart stop and began to transform with the amount of rage that filled him.

In his natural state his senses were magnified tenfold and he found her and went to the place where she was being held at knife's edge against the trunk of a large cedar.

Sesshomaru saw her sag against the tree and grasp her throat. The healer was there, holding vial and looking up at his beast form with terror. Sesshomaru growled at the man and lunged gripping him in his teeth and eating him whole. Hojo could not even scream as the jaws of the large demon clamped down on him, he went into the black and died. Sesshomaru went to Kagome and smelled her, trying to make her react to him.

"Sesshomaru…. It was poison." she said and she began to wretch and shiver uncontrollably.

It was night when Haku reached the trail to the village, he saw his two companions and looked around for the healer and Saito. They were gone. Rena and Ginji were holding each other and started when they saw Haku.

"You will never believe what just happened." Ginji said and Haku put up his hand.

"The demon let you live?" he said and GinjI gasped.

"How did you know?" Renka said surprised. "He let you live too… Where's Saito, then?" she asked

"That sicko probably ditched us" Ginji said without mercy.

Haku heard something the road and was surprised to see the demon in their midst holding the body of a priestess to his chest. The group of demon slayers had no time to react befit the demon had Haku in his grasp. "you have an antidote to the poison. Help me with to save her." Sesshomaru said feeling every ounce if dread that he had ignored previously.

Haku saw something he had never expected in the demons eyes, true worry for the human woman's safety. "It is late, we must get her to shelter." Haku said motioning for the demon to take her to the village. Sesshomaru stopped him.

"Only you may come to my lair, no one else." he said and began to walk the shortest route to the hut he had finished building only hours before. Sesshomaru called Jakken to his service. "Jakken you are to do as this Kohaku asks. "

"Lay her down, I have to assess her state "Haku said and Sesshomaru took her to the futon that the kamI had provided him. Haku frowned when he reached for her forehead. "her temperature is elevated, her pupils dilated and her breathing is shallow. I don't know how she is still alive." Haku wondered aloud and began to rummage through his vitals. He uncorked a small one filled with blue liquid.

"What is that?". Sesshomaru asked as he scented the hearts that mixed into a potent aroma.

"I have survived many poisonings with this antidote. It is a remedy for the poisoned claws form your own grandfather, courtesy of war." he looked at Sesshomaru and felt the tide of fate. "In the entire history of my people, we have never aided one another. I have just become a shame to my father, who trained me to hunt you to the last breath." he's said and gave the woman the entire contents of the vial.

Kagome choked on the liquid and struggled against the slayer. Sesshomaru moved to her side and the slayer watched with amazement as the inu lord dealt gently with the woman. He looked around and noticed that the hut was as many he'd seen in the villages and was perplexed. "I have always known your people to live In villages and fur lined tents... never a structure as this." he said quietly.

"This is all for her." he answered. "I can scent the poison coming out of her… She will live. You have my gratitude Kohaku, ask and I will grant you what you wish except for my own life, that I will not surrender." he said and Haku almost smiled.

"I would like to make an alliance, inuyoukai." Haku said and Sesshomaru frowned.

"An alliance with a demon slayer? Why?" he said and Haku looked down at Kagome and saw that she was cared for.

"Because you have shown me something I never thought I'd ever see. You have my respect and my gratitude for sparing my life. Call on me and I will aide you." he said.

"Come back in the mornings I will give you my answer." Sesshomaru said and turned his back on the man. "Jakken." he calls and Jakken came to his side and bowed low.

"My Lord?" he said and Sesshomaru pointed at the slayer

"Take Kohaku to the path to the village." he commanded and Jakken accepted with pride. Jakken looked at the human with mixed emotions but lead him out with a wave of his hand and a prod with his staff.

Sesshomaru felt the retreating energy of the human slayer and leaned his nose to Kagome's hair and breathed in deeply. She was breathing shallowly still, but her heart was stronger and her body healing from the poison though the antidote was just administered. He was exhausted, having pushed the limit of his endurance to resist the natural call of sleep. He had to make sure that she was going to be okay.

Sesshomaru was reluctant to leave her, but hearing Jakken return, he asked him to retrieve water for her and within minutes, Jakken had a water skin in his grasp and handed it to his reaching claws. Sitting her up against his chest, he felt her come awake.

"Sesshomaru, "she called to him and clutched his arm that came around her. She was delirious, asking for her sister and talking about the boy.

"We will see them when you're well. Do not strain yourself, you need to rest." he said and she relaxed against him.

"This isn't exactly how we planned the first night together I shouldn't have left the hut, Shippo tried to stop me, but I ran past him, please don't be upset with him." she said and looked up at his searching eyes.

"I only wish to see you well again." he whispered and kissed her temple.

"Let us both rest then, I will be okay as long as you are near. "she whispered and was glad to readjust to laying on the futon while he rid himself or his armor. When he came back to her he was in his hakima with his chest bared, sitting beside her, she fingered a strand of hair and placed her hand in his bare forearm.

"Kagome I cannot lose you." he tried to say the way he felt and could not. He let his bangs fall forward to cover the worry in his features but she reached up and brushed them back.

"I will be okay, just be with me." she said grabbing a handful of his hair and tugged to get his attention. He snorted and laid down beside her taking her form and pulled her to his chest.

He let his nose rest on her temple and felt her small hands caressing lines on his skin and raise goosebumps where she touched him. He sighed feeling the comfort of having her close and relaxed into the embrace.

Kagome turned and kissed his chin and throat, feeling him growl content when he felt her beginning be bolder with her exploration. He was starting to feel the familiar pull of sleep and tried to resist as he felt the lips of his human touching him gently and trying to coax a response from him. He put his claws into her hair and feathers small circles I her scalp making her pause and close her eyes happily.

She was weak still, and he was becoming increasingly more tired as the moments passed and after only a few moments more he succumbed to the exhaustion. Kagome was there too, with her head tucked under his chin and her arms wrapped around him, holding him as a lifeline. When Jakken returned, he saw his master sleeping and took it on to himself to cover the two with his masters haori.

The night turned to day, and the two still did not wake. Jakken stood guard with the metal instrument out just in case the demon appeared, but only the woman and pup rounded the corner as the morning stretched into the early afternoon.

"Mother, cat!" Inuyasha said and pointed at Jakken.

Jakken groaned and ordered the two away.

"Your kidding, Kagome is in there, I want to know if she is alright after joining with that demon." she demanded and kicked at Jakken. Jakken used his staff and blocked her kick.

"See for yourself the demon lord and his mate sleep." he said and he motioned for her to look in. Kikyou saw Kagome as the demon laying together sound asleep and bit her lip. There was another sound through the forest and Kikyou turned to see a demon slayer coming down the trail.

Jakken went to the demon slayer and barred him from coming any closer. Kikyou set Inuyasha down and told him to go inside the into the hut as his mother ordered he saw his mother laying down with demon and went to them. Inuyasha yawned scenting the comfort of sleep between them, and having barely slept during the previous night laid down and closed his eyes.

Kikyou approached the demon slayer, he was an older man with a hardened stare from years of training. He assessed her and looked at her as though he'd seen a ghost. "Lady Kagome?" he asked and Kikyou shook her head.

"What business do you have with my twin?". She asked and the demon hunter nodded realizing that this was the other woman.

"It is with the demon, I am here for his response." the demon hunter said with some hesitation.

"I am waiting also... perhaps you would like to have tea while they rest and you could tell me why you are in my home." she motioned and he nodded graciously. "First I must get-" she went to the hut and saw that Inuyasha was sleeping in Kagome's arms. Kikyou stopped and looked at the scene with a small lump in her throat.

Kagome was being held by both the terrifying demon and the half demon child she had rescued. Kikyou looked at the scene and was brought to tears at the beauty of the small family scene. It was Kagome's family. Kagome's demon, and her son, whom Kikyou loved very much, but had never accepted as half demon. This is her life. She thought, and I have been holding her back.

Haku saw the startled look on the woman's face and went to her. He stopped and looked at the half demon pup laying in the woman's arms and did not doubt may further that this was a demon worth following, He thought for a moment and took the woman by the arm gently

"Lady priestess, I have studied this demon race for my lifetime. The are not woken easily and never with a good attitude." he smiled and coaxed her to come away from the hut. "To tell the truth I would love some tea." he smiled and Kikyou saw a glint in his eyes and blushed nodding.

"Then follow me." she said and lead him away. "Toad, would you watch over Inuyasha until he wakes?" Kikyou asked and looks back at the child sleeping. Jakken shouted 'of course' and crossed his arms.

Kagome woke in the late evening to a small kiss on her nose. She opened her eyes and smiled at her half demon son. Bringing her arms around him, she kissed his forehead and tried to sit up. She was held back by a restraining hold and laughed quietly as he began to stir.

Sesshomaru sniffed the onyx locks under his nose and felt the presence of the pup. He tried not to be too upset when he opened his eyes and saw the boy's small smile. Inuyasha raised his head and sniffed at him and growling a small request for affection. His whimpering made Kagome snuggled him and he clung to her and laid his head against her chest.

Sesshomaru leaned over Kagome and took her mouth with his and moving his arm between the two to make room for himself. Kagome blushed and allowed him to kiss her as he wanted to while Inuyasha sat back and looked at the demon leaning over his mother and stared confused while he kissed her. He noticed a scent that reminded him of family and leaned Into it and tried to take the scent into himself.

Sesshomaru's hand shot out and held the boy back when he began to try and wiggle his way between them again. He turned and gave him a sharp command to do sit down somewhere else. And Inuyasha whimpered.

"Inu, is he being grouchy?" Kagome asked her son and Sesshomaru frowned at her.

"No." the boy said and didn't seem to bothered but Kagome tried to sit up again.

"What are you doing?" he asked somewhat angrily and held Kagome down.

"Well, I was going to take Inuyasha back to Kikyou and then come back…." she trailed off and the demons heard the slope in her heart beat. Inuyasha laughed and pointed at her heart.

"Mother you are silly." he said and Sesshomaru leaned to kiss her again.

"See that you don't take too long." he said and let Kagome get up. She stretched and yawned cutely before sitting up and grabbing Inuyasha to her chest.

"Mother, you smell like demon." he said and leaned in to sniff the place where her scar was. Kagome felt nothing different.

"Well we were sleeping together, just now, it would make sense." she said and started for the door.

"No, it does not. In order for you to carry my scent we would have had to mate. You carry my scent already though I have not yet touched you. How curious that Inuyasha could scent it." he said and sat up to regard her. He had noticed and was content with the smell, though he didn't understand it.

Kagome thought about it logically. "do you think this has anything to do with it." she said and pulled back the collar of her haorI to show him her scar. He considered it and nodded.

"It would seem that violet had been meddling in things she ought not to." he said and Kagome shook her head.

She carried Inuyasha home, he was being sweet giving her small kisses and playing with her hair. She did not hear the sound of voices when she got to her sisters hut. It was late afternoon and Kagome stepped onto the small porch and reached for the door.

"Kikyou you are absolutely wonderful, I cannot imagine finding someone with more dedication to her craft… do you have a husband?" Kagome heard a man's voice in her sisters hut and gasped. Leaning her ear to the door Kagome blushed red realizing that Kikyou was giggling and entertaining the advance of this man, whom she had never met before.

Inuyasha felt the dread in his mother and began to cry. "Mother! Down." he said and began to struggle.

"Darling, Kikyou has a guest, we have to be polite." she said hushed but heard the sound of her sister's footsteps. When she opened the door Inuyasha ran in and Kagome tried to grab him before he began to investigate the man Kagome saw was a demon slayer. Kagome saw his outfit and was startled. "Inuyasha come back here." she said and stepped back from him willing her child to listen.

The man held his hand up and tried to show her that he was not going to harm her child. "Lady Kagome, you do not recall, but I saved your life last night after the healer poisoned you. Your mate has granted me an audience that I wish to see to now, if you would take me to him." he said and Kagome looked around wildly at the occupants of the room.

"You… really saved my life after I was poisoned?" she asked amazed that this same ones that had come to kill Sesshomaru ended up saving her life.

"Lady Kagome, among many of the monsters ive fought your demon does not even compare them. He is unique. A demon with honor and worth following. That is why i've come. To receive his answer to whether or not he will take me as an ally." he said and Kagome gasped.

"You want to be... friends?" she asked and he nodded.

"In a sense." he replied.

"I was going to try and convince Kikyou to watch Inuyasha for me, Sesshomaru is expecting me back alone…. So he might not appreciate your company" she said blushing slightly.

"I will only require a one word reply and you will be left in peace." he said standing.

"Don't be silly you are welcomed here whenever you like." Kikyou said smiling coyly and making Kagome chuckle. She looked at the man in front of her and saw a man in his early thirties with slightly peppered hair and the build of a warrior. Kikyou was smitten. "Kohaku, I would enjoy it very much if you would come back." she invited him.

Kohaku looked at her with some warmth and smiled enjoying the attention, trying to decide whether or not it was a good idea to date the twin sister to the demons mate. He would get his answer first. "Lady Kikyou, you have spoiled me, I would be daft if I ignored such a beautiful request, but first i must see if i truly will be welcomed back" he bowed smoothly side stepping her advance, Kikyou was almost giddy. She reached to Inuyasha and nodded to her sister trying to communicate her excitement, kagome nodded and shrugged while his back was turned..

"You can come to auntie Kikyou, I would love to spend time with my favorite nephew." she said taking Kagome by surprise. Kikyou slyly gestured to the demon slayer, seeing Kagome was a little taken aback. Kikyou nodded towards him and mouthed the words, 'he thinks he's yours'. Inuyasha looked at her and tried to sniff the deception from her scent and his ears twitched at the change in titles

He didn't understand and wanted to go back with his mother to his new home, she had said he was welcomed and yet walked away from him. "Mother!" he cried when they began to leave him in Kikyou's care. "mother I want to go with you! Don't leave me!" he cried and Kagome turned to him in Kikyou's arms.

"I will be back for you tomorrow, please be good for Auntie." she tried to reassure him and kissed him lovingly on the forehead. Inuyasha nodded with tears in his eyes and Kagome had to close her ears to the wails of bitterness when she closed the door behind her and the slayer.

Haku watched the interaction and knew that the child was Kagome's, she was acting just like a mother worrying about her son, talking about him and praising him until she entered the clearing to her home.

"Kagome you were supposed to come back alone." he said eyeing the demon slayer. Kagome ran to him and was taken behind him when he stepped toward the demon slayer. "You have come Kohaku, I will give you my answer now. I accept your alliance." he said.

"Lord, Sesshomaru, I give you the allegiance of my entire tribe, you, your woman and your children will have aid from us at any request." Haku vowed and Sesshomaru nodded.

"You may regret this. But I will not forget." he warned and the demon slayer nodded. "Leave now, you have your answer, I will allow you passage on my land as long as our truce stands." he ask and swept into the hut and closed the door firmly behind him.

 **AN: ….. Did I say romance? I meant fighting! update again soon!**

 **-inuyoukaidreamer, out**


	27. can i go too

**AN: Warning! There is a time-lapse in this chapter…. And graphic content, just thought I'd let you know.**

Closing the door firmly behind him, Sesshomaru shut out the last of the interruptions. He was done with the constant vying for his attention, demons, humans, kami, everything was thoroughly unwelcome in that moment. He had waited, watched this human woman with wanting for long enough and he was not willing to let someone else deter him from his goal, he could already feel the edge from his own excitement setting his teeth on edge.

Taking her with him when the door closed, Sesshomaru kicked his boots off and went to the futon already beginning to rid her of her garments. Taking one claw he sliced the ribbon that bound her hair, it fell to her shoulders, and he feathered his claws through it uncovering the scarred place on her shoulder.

Her outer haori was the first of her cloths to fly across the small hut. She gasped outraged that he would treat her white cloths with such disregard. He shrugged and ripped his own houri off and threw it, much to her dismay. Kagome could not help herself, no self respecting priestess was going to let her cloths be strewn in disarray. She leaned to grab the cloths and was blocked by a demon hand deflecting her from her goal.

"That can wait." he smirked seeing that she was taking offense.

"No it can't, it will only take a moment." she grunted trying to get from his grasp. Sesshomaru was amused, he liked watching her squirm and wanted to see how far he could go with this.

"I believe it can," he said pulling her to him away from the pile of cloths and decided to add a few more to it, because it made her mad. Her brows pinched together when he began his assault, nibbling on her neck and ear. Kagome was getting angry with him, beginning to pull back from his searching lips and the smirk that never quite left him as he revealed more and more of her supple flesh.

"This is ridiculous." she snapped when he grabbed her chest bindings and yarded her forward to unravel her from the cloth and reveal firm breasts. Sesshomaru's answer to her was to grip her waist and bring her bared chest to his face and growl into her soft flesh, she swatted him and he latched onto her nipple, circling her sensitive bud with his tongue and teeth and making her moan with the shock of pleasure through her being.

Kagome felt panic when the pleasure flowed through her like a tidal wave, she wriggled in his hold and unwittingly stirred the beast. Feeling him growl with a ragged pant, she felt the realness of the situation as he put her down on the futon and moved over her. She looked between them and there was nothing separating them, his naked body was a perfect machine for war, and as bemused as she was at being manhandled and overpowered, she knew the beast inside of the man, and correctly assumed that he would not yield when he was ready to stop playing with her and sweep aside her childish shyness..

Sesshomaru was as close to happy as he'd ever felt in his life, he felt her annoyance and thrived on it but, feeling her panic, knew he had to ease her fears or be given only scorn from her afterward. Clawed hands disentangled her struggling limbs from around him and pressed her to the futon, taking a second to look at his mate before he continued. Leaning to her, he nuzzled her chin and neck, settling back on her thighs. Her arms wrapped nervously around him and she took a steadying breath before taking the tip of his pointed ear into her mouth and sucking on it, not too gently.

Feeling the sensual pull of her mouth on his flesh, he paused and enjoyed the feeling. Seeing her make an attempt though she was terrified, filled him with need beyond what he already experienced and felt himself harden in anticipation. Pressing to her, he saw her face drain of color and felt her fear threefold. Taking her face in his palm Sesshomaru tried to ease her worries, kissing her tenderly as he pulled her to him, molding their bodies together and feeling the response that was natural between them.

Reaching to her hips he pulled her legs around his waist and pressed into her entrance feeling her squirm and fight against the invasion. He stopped, growling in his frustration. Drawing back from her, he yarded her closer to him, stopping her when she tried to sit up in her confusion. "Stay," he said. Blue and amber eyes locked and Kagome felt the edge in him that meant that he was barely in control. His eyes were bloodshot, but not glowing red yet, when he looked down her body she read the desire and blushed, seeing that he was looking at her center.

Making the decision to taste her before continuing, he pulled her thighs apart to nuzzle and explore her most sensitive places. He circled his tongue, holding her thighs apart when she convulsed in ecstasy. She was tight when he carefully inserted one clawed finger inside her, and her muscles clamped down around him he growled feeling the anticipation through him like an electric shock. Sesshomaru pushed another finger inside her and tried to stretch her enough so that he would not hurt her too badly when they joined. At the second invasion she cried out and tried not to struggle while his deadly sharp claws were inside of her. Moving them as he would his own body, he helped her to her first orgam.

Pleasure washed over her, and as that pleasure began to wane, a new wave began when he moved a third claw into her she felt his claws stretching her, and her panic was renewed. Sesshomaru looked up her form and watched her small breasts as she panted. She was beautiful, he thought taking his hardened member in his hand and pumping it a few times as he adjusted over her again. He saw her eyes move to his member and she watched with fascination and fear as he pleasured himself.

Seeing that she was curious about him, he reached for her wrist and lead her hand to his throbbing erection, he guided her to grasp it, molding her hands around it and pushing into her grip while his hands moved to her body. Kagome gasped feeling his girth and the power he used when he thrusted forward into her tight grip.

Feeling the beast in him rise to the occasion, he disentangle from her and flipped her onto her belly and crouching over her, he growled at the dominance of this position. His manhood bobbed in excitement when she pressed her bottom into him, both trying to get up and being curious about his response. He knelt behind her, picking her up by the hips to set her on her knees and moving her legs so that his access was unhindered. His hands were drawn to shaping the curve of her back and sides while he waited for her to be ready once more. She squirmed at the tickling of his claws on her skin.

Kagome panted from the sensory overload and reached to her sensitive bud to rub it, looking for relief from this raging fire in her. She gasped when she felt the tip of his manhood prodding at her entrance once more, he pushed forward, gripping her hips and biting his lip and trying not to hurt her in his excitement. She opened for him slowly when he pressed. Her body resisted the invasion, tried to keep him out, tightening her muscles almost to the point of pain for him, but he sheathed himself in as far as he could and took a few moments to breath. He scented her tears from their first joining and stilled until she was ready for him.

Kagome felt as though she'd been impaled. Her insides hurt, her legs were trembling and he was only half way in, taking a deep breath Kagome began to try to relax, try to feel the pleasure of what was happening and was almost to giving up on it when she felt him lean forward and move her hair off of her shoulder. His lips wrapped around the scar there and he sucked on her skin nibbling and making her gasp from the wave of pleasure. Feeling that warmth, she closed her eyes and drew in slow breaths feeling him back out and then push in completely making her cry out at the mix of pleasure and pain.

Within moments the pain was nearly forgotten. His powerful body strived toward the pleasure he had never allowed himself before and knew he had been right to choose her. She was far from docile, she argued with him more than anyone had ever dared in his adult life, but she had a gentleness about her that had drawn him in from the beginning and had allowed him to warm up to the idea of being with her at all. he had hated the aggressiveness of the inu females, they all assumed he wanted to be touched by them, because they were female, when the reality was that he didn't want to be touched by anyone, and could not be touched by anyone but his mother without flashbacks of pain from the unwanted contact.

Sesshomaru recalled the first time Kagome had laid her hands on him, trying to reason with him in the forest, he had tried to kill her for that and was stopped only by the binding, she had not given up on him. Then again, when he had tried to strangle the healer, and though she was angry at him, she still did not falter with the friendship she tried to build with him. He watched her give all of her energy to his people to the point that he had to care for her, and he had never taken care of any one except for his own family and didn't want to even help her from the ground when she fell, he had been afraid to get too attached, afraid that the demon in him would never accept the thought of a low human as one of his own, but after he had taken in her scent he could not deny that he wanted her and after she had kissed him in the shrine and he had felt nothing but the want for more contact, he knew that he could not let go of this feeling. It was as close to free as he'd ever been from the things of his past, when she looked to him for warmth and protection. He felt fuller, more alive when he was with her and he would do anything in his power to keep her..

She was his, she had been his from the moment she had trapped him. He had seen her power, felt the warmth in her heart, experienced it first hand when she begged him to put aside his hatred to make room for something else in his life. "you are mine." he growled roughly in her ear.

"Ah- Sess- ah" was all she was able to sputter out as her hand shot to his arm that was holding her waist. She pushed back against him, his powerful body moved inside of her with sure deliberate movements that drew out his own pleasure. She felt him inside of her, stiff and unyielding as he pleasured her and didn't want him to stop. He leaned forward and drawing her face to his, he kissed her, hungrily exploring her mouth with his tongue as his hands ravished her breasts and stomach. Feeling her submit to him sexually was addicting, he ate up her attention and the beautiful sounds of her pleasure like a drug and wanted more.

Drawing back, he let himself lob out onto her back and sat back on his heels to grip her bottom in his hands and squeeze affectionately as she squirmed from the loss. He moved on her with his manhood rubbing against her rounded globes and leaving a trail of precum on her before entering and thrusting helplessly once more until she orgasmed around him.

Kagome pushed back, wanting deep penetration and gasped when she felt him push completely inside her and bear down for his own orgasm. She felt the change in him by his ragged breaths and hurried motions, he grasped her breast and massaged it roughly and leaning to her neck to push his nose through her hair and find the scar there. He was bitter about it still, but could not hold back the natural instinct in him to clamp his teeth around her shoulder and hold her still as he gripped her hips to the point of pain.

She was gripping him perfectly, squeezing him as he jerked into her. Gripping her hips and holding her to him, he felt ready to explode. Her voice was muffled, her moans and gasps like kindling to the fire bringing him that much closer, knowing that he was giving her pleasure as much as he was experiencing. When she came again, he jerked forward, making her squeal when he bit down harder on her shoulder, Sesshomaru pulled out of her completely and grabbed her hand molding it around his shaft to bring him to completion within a few moments. He groaned aloud and released her. Kagome collapsed beneath him and tried to collect herself as the waves of pleasure subsided.

Keeping his eyes closed he imagined himself having finished inside of her as was the custom on the first night and recoiled from the idea. He scented her and was satisfied with his scent that now boldly mingled with hers. He could not help but caress her from her shoulder to her bottom where he sat back on her thighs and squeezed her bottom, because he could. The mating ceremony had always been the conception of the first heir. It was a centuries old custom that meant the survival of their race. But he could not, would not make himself go through with it. He had what he wanted, she was his, her attention was always going to be on him from this moment further and she could never escape him, if she ever wanted to. He would never allow it.

He got up from the futon and went to the fire, stoking it so that she would be warm while he was away. Taking the white band he had set aside he tied his hair back in the sign of a mated male and began to redress, rifling through the pile strewn out along the floor. Kagome saw what he was doing and was curious as to what he could be doing after what just happened.

"Where are you going?" she asked rolling onto her side and sitting up. He waved his hand motioning for her to lay back down and tied his obi securing the armour and cloth in place.

"I will be back with something for your fire. You have not eaten since yesterday afternoon, i plan to see to that immediately." he said and left her looking after him. Her stomach rumbled and she grasped it looking down at the traitorous organ.

"Great now he's gone…. I was hoping he would stay with me for a while." she said to herself and looked around. It was a mess, she remembered the wrestling match and blushed seeing now how it had excited him. She shook the distracting throught out of her head when she felt the soreness and didn't want to stir the demon to pounce again. She looked her body over to assess the damage, she found several puncture marks, but, aside from the ache in her belly, her shoulder was the most damage on her. She reached up and found that it was bleeding, she looked around and leaned to her bags that held her things and withdrew a bandage to press to her skin while she chanted a small spell to hurry the healing. It did not work and with the blood beginning to run down her shoulder she was concerned.

Kagome found her yukata and wrapped in it, keeping her shoulder out so that her garment was not ruined as she tried to keep pressure on the wound. Taking the pouch of bandages back with her she went to the futon to lay down and let her body rest. She felt like she had been ravaged and was not upset but cautious as she stretched her limbs and shifted to a position where her shoulder did not ache.

Kagome was asleep when Sesshomaru re entered the hut, he went to the fire to cook the rabbit meat he had hunted and skinned for her trying to be quiet so she could sleep. He scented her when he was done and found her blood loss to be alarming, he went to her and carefully moved her onto her back she barely responded to him, muttering and falling once more unconscious when he could not get through to her. Sesshomaru leaned to her wound and licked the trail of blood that trailed down her shoulder. Where his saliva touched, the wound healed, and within moments her wound was reduced to a scar that was barely discernable overtop of the scar that already existed on her shoulder.

Taking her and moving her to his chest her listened to her heart and felt the strong beat that told him that she would be okay. He was relieved that he had decided to come home so soon, wanting to be with her rather than impress her with killing large game. She wouldn't appreciate it anyway, having the habit of humanizing every creature until he was nearly sick with it all. Smelling the cooking meat Sesshomaru waited until it was edible before he woke her. Her eyes fluttered open and she blushed recalling the passion he had shown her only hours before. He felt pride in her recognition and was eager to present her the meat from his kill to solidify the responsibility of his protection of her.

Kagome awoke slowly as she chewed her food, each bite gave her more energy but she felt as though she had not only been hit by a carriage, but sapped of all energy. " i tried to heal it but i couldn't." she said when he asked about the blood loss.

"Inu have an anticoagulant that makes our bite deadly. Only our saliva can close that kind of wound" he said aloud thinking about it.

"Why did you bite me any way?" she said and reached for the mark, she rubbed it and felt a shiver through her entire body. Sesshomaru came to attention and gripped her hand from caressing it any further, he was tingling, his entire body aroused from the need that was stirred from the sensual gesture.

"It is our mating mark, a bond between us recognized by the demon race as you belonging to my pack as my mate. This mark is now linking our fates… and our souls." he whispered and kissed the scar dragging his lips over it again and again feeling the responding warmth that stirred between them.

"Then we are bound again?" she asked finding it kind of silly. He shook his head.

"You are my mate."

With every fiber of his being Sesshomaru set out to create a firm hold of the villages around his territory. He expelled demons and humans that interfered in the calm of the quiet countryside and within a few months was considered a savior of the village at the foothills of his mountain. He worked quietly, not drawing the attention of the people until after the terror was dispatched, he appeared out of the shadows, in the night and while the demon or human was alone. There he would sentence them to a worthy punishment and with their defeat helped to create a safer place for Kagome.

Kagome went into the village more and more often as Inuyasha began to grow in leaps and bounds, going through cloth as fast as she could buy them. He was developing cognitively as well as physically, emulating the elder demon as much as he could observe him. Kagome was both pleased and irritated by the bond the two began to share.

Sesshomaru didn't like Inuyasha, he tolerated and instructed him, harshly in Kagome's opinion, but Inuyasha would reassure her that he was fine and was determined to learn what he could. From the time that he began to live with the demon and human full time, he was determined to gain the acceptance of his brother. The only time those amber eyes settled on him for more than a moment, was when he showed some promise in strength.

Years passed in vain as he tried to gain his brothers affection. He was seven years old when the demon began to acknowledge him, he was renowned for disappearing for a few days to patrol the area and fight monsters that he could only imagine with the wounds he returned with. As Inuyasha understood it he was in charge of his mother's well being while he was away, and the demon held him accountable for each scratch and bruise.

His mother would worry, she watched the night sky while he was gone, would pace and start projects that made him wince with the tediousness. He tried to distract her from worrying, she would let him distract her and held him an night time until she fell asleep. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he liked the time that he was away, because it was the only time he got his mother's full attention without a struggle. The demon would not give the boy the family he wanted, he would rather send him away so that he could be alone with his mother. The demon was relentless in this matter, he was even made to sleep across the room on his own bed, and he hated it. But the demon would never invite him to sleep with them as he wanted to.

Today, he watched as the demon strapped his armour down and strode around the small clearing assessing the supply of firewood and then turning his eyes to him. " make sure that she is taken care of, Inuyasha." he said with no hint of warmth for him. Inuyasha nodded.

"I will… how long are you going to be away, brother?" he asked and Sesshomaru glanced down at him considering his answer.

"When i can. I have sensed a bigger annoyance than i have dealt with in a while." he replied and turned when Kagome walked out of the hut and handed him a small pouch with some healing herbs.

"If you start bleeding internally again eat some of these, they will help with some of the lacerations….don't you dare come home to me broken again!' she said and was adamant about it. The boy was not surprised when his mother yelled at the demon, it was not something that he wanted to test his luck with but when his mother was concerned he had witnessed the demon do things that he was amazed and frightened by.

He recalled the night the pack of demon ogres stampeded the hut as a last ditch effort for revenge on the demon. Everything Had been templed except for the two huts that sat parallel to the road to the village. He had destroyed every demon that had touched down on his mountain and then came home and did the washing while Kagome fretted over the things that had been destroyed, the demon sat with her quietly while she had cried and had spent the night rebuilding their small life one board at a time. He even let Inuyasha help him while he worked, and wasn't too irritated by his youth.

That had shocked him to his core and he made the most of his time trying to prove himself competent. Sesshomaru began to treat him with a measure of consideration if not kindness from that day on.

"I will return home in moderate condition, do not worry i will live." he said as though there were nothing to worry about. He had always found war, it was his way, and just because she worried, it did not take the danger from pitting his strength against other demons. He was winning, more then being injured, there had been no one to stand in his way, even demons he had previously struggled against in war were nothing when he got to fight them one on one. He began to enjoy this style of fighting above all others, simply because it was not a question of tactics alone, but strength and willpower, in those qualities he was not lacking and with each victory held more of that pride.

Kagome shook her head and kissed him warmly, she knew he was going to come back. She didn't really doubt it. He was strong, and above all else stubborn. Her life was as she had hoped. She had her sister close, though she often ventured to the village of demon slayers to see Haku. Kagome had laughed when they declared the intention to wed, three years ago. But the two had a hard time putting aside the work they dedicated themselves to. Kikyou took on Hojos position. No one really knew what happened to him but the village settled back into a routine and resumed life as though he had never been there. Kagome was sad about the situation, but could not find room to spare with the constant overflow traffic of needy villagers that now came to Kikyou for help.

They worked together during times of great illness and when there were demon attacks which happened every so often because of the demon that dwelled on the mountain. It was intriguing to see the reaction of the villagers to Sesshomaru, they suspected that he was there, because of Inuyasha, and they had dealt with him from infancy, but having never seen the demon before, they were amazed and curious at first. When he made no motion to hurt them, the villagers welcomed him and began to bring him offerings for the hardships he helped them with.

He refused all of their gifts, he didn't want things and usually returned them to the village or allowed it to remain at the priestesses hut where they could see that he didn't want it. But they made a tribute to him that had the twin priestesses wealthier than they ever wanted to be and they found ways to repay the villagers kindness.

This day was different than the days and years that had lead up to it, Kagome took Inuyasha's hand when Sesshomaru began to walk down the trial and he stopped. A currier was hastening down the road to their hut and didn't stop at the demons warning.

Sesshomaru barked a halt that had the man nearly doubling backwards in his attempt to stop and he held out a letter, sliding to a stop. Sesshomaru reached for it but the man held it to Kagome. " the lady Kaoru is ill, she has sent me to find you and summon you to the shrine before it is too late." the man said and Kagome went to him hurriedly and snatched the paper from him to read it.

"Oh- Kikyou!" she yelled and ran down the path to her sisters hut. Kikyou was pouring over a potion and scribbling down an incantation that a villageman needed for a better harvest. She looked up at her sister and read the worry on her face. " Kaoru is sick, we have to go home before she dies!" Kagome said thrusting the parchment into her twin's hands. Inuyasha was at her heels and looked between the two with confusion.

"Go? Mother are you leaving?" he asked.

Sesshomaru was behind them at the treeline and held back while the two women calmed down from the news. He had allowed the messenger to leave, only if he swore never to run into his territory again. He didn't like the sound of Kagome leaving, he had safeguarded this place for her and didn't trust her to be safe anywhere else.

"We have to go. Inuyasha i can't leave you here with Shippo," Kagome said and Shippo came out of the hut and called her out on her comment sulking.

"Hey, i could watch him!" the fox kit said and Kagome narrowed her eyes and shook her head adamantly.

"Last time you had him, he was awake for a month with nightmares. No. " she put her foot down and Shippo sniggered at the inus ears flattening at his mother's tone. Inuyasha was hopeful.

"I can go with you then?" he asked and she nodded.

"Hold it." Sesshomaru said stopping this before they could get any further. As much as he didn't want her going alone, he really didn't want her going alone with a child to protect. He began to fight this, he wanted her home when he returned, not off across the country taking care of an old woman.

"She is the closest thing to a mother we have ever had, Sesshomaru we have to go. I can't let Kikyou go alone and if i did i would be a shame to my father who gave us into her care when he died." she plead with him and he held his tongue seeing how much this meant to her.

"I will not stand in your way." he saw that Kikyou was surprised that he wasn't fighting her more on this. He met the challenge and was determined not to look weak in the midst of her intense scrutiny.

Kagome sighed and nodded relieved too that he wasn't fighting her. He was usually so overbearing. " good then we will be leaving immediately, it takes three days to journey to my aunts shrine." Kagome sighed.

"We will leave immediately then." Sesshomaru said surprising the two but hearing no argument from either.

Kikyou and Kagome both hurried to close down their homes for the time that they were going to be away, Shippo was around within the forest, having decided that he was going to be trailer protector of the demons land. He put up alarms and set Sevres traps that his lord Sesshomaru would never fall victim to, he hoped. Kagome called to him and watched the sky for his bright eyes to peer at her from a tree. " you're leaving now then?" he asked and Kagome nodded. " when are you going to be back?" he asked and Sesshomaru came over and asserted himself.

' I will be home the day after tomorrow to check on you, fox." he said and Shippo huffed.

" that's fine, i guess i'll see you the day after tomorrow then, my lord." he said bowing though after nearly ten years of living together they had established a relationship of somewhat understanding. When Sesshomaru nodded Kagome reached out to where Shippo was and invited him to come down to her.

"Shippo, i don't know how long i'm going to be gone, are you sure you will be alright?" she asked and he jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly.

" I will miss you," he said and she nodded.

" You could go-" she started but Sesshomaru stopped her

" No, you and Jakken remain here. I will escort the women, and seeing that we are going to a shrine, having a group of demons is unwanted." he said putting his foot down.

When the preparations were complete the two women looked around at their home. It had been their for seven years and was as much apart of them as any place had ever been for them. Now they were going back to the beginning of it all. Kagome held Inuyasha's hand as they began their journey. It brought her mind back to when she was a little girl and her father held her hand like this. Her heart ached at the memory.

Sesshomaru walked at her side and as they passed through the village people began to wave at them. Kikyou smiled and waved to them delighted. " they love you damon, i can't believe that after everything they love you." Kikyou remarked earning an irritated grunt.

"He has been working hard on keeping the trouble down around the village, they truly do love you here." Kagome said looking at her demon with adoration. Sesshomaru preened under the attention and did not hide the smirk when Kikyou rolled her eyes at the admiration. Kagome reached out to him and grasped his hand affectionately. Kikyou looked away from the gesture and walked ahead knowing when her presence wasn't wanted.

Miles passed under their sandals before they stopped. Inuyasha was putting on a brave face though he was completely exhausted and when they stopped he plopped down on top of a bulging root and tried to take the pressure off of his feet. Kagome saw that Inuyasha was tired and offered to carry him. " no thank you mother, i don't want you to be tired too." he said and got up to keep walking. Kagome stopped him and gripped his sandal clad foot. She took the sandal off and he flexed his clawed toes relieved at the freedome.

"Do you want these off?" she asked and he nodded and took the other one off as well. He tested the ground under his toes and smiled nodding happily. Sesshomaru watched the scene with interest. The pup was lying about the difference in reducing his fatigue. But Kagome wanted to feel like she was helping him and so the boy allowed her to. Kagome worried over him and doted on him but the boy was not over indulgent as he had feared watching the constant mothering and seeing the lack of fear in the boy's life.

" Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said getting the boys attention and making him turn and look at him. Inuyasha was shocked that the demon ever spoke to him and so listened carefully when he did. "There is a stream nearby, take Kagome's waterskin and fill it up for the next leg of our journey." he said and Kagome looked up at him alarmed. Sesshomaru knew she didn't want the boy to go alone but could not deny the excitement that the boy felt when given a task by his older brother. Inuyasha scurried toward the stream and with two women looking at him with some concern the demon followed at a distance to watch him walk to the stream.

Determined to fill the skins to the brim Inuyasha leaned forward and windmilled his arms trying to pull himself back from falling into the icy water. Before he felt the icy blast of water he felt a large hand hold the back of his haori and was yanked back out of the water. Inuyasha looked at the demon surprised but was only put back on the bank and given the filled waterskins. Inuyasha grinned and jumped around excitedly. Running back down the trail Inuyasha took the skins to his mother and presented them to her. The demon was at his back, he could tell when his mother looked over his head and nodded smiling and hearing the responding growl from his brother.

Inuyasha closed his eyes when she stepped closer to the demon and raised on to her toes to kiss him. Inuyasha sented the difference in the demon and knew he would be sent away soon. He sighed and tried to take his victory where he could find it. Kikyou went to him understanding what it was like to be the third wheel and grabbed him to raise him high into the air and bring him back down in a giant hug that left him in gales of laughter.

Sesshomaru gripped the base of her neck and moved her hair aside to reveal the mark that bonded them. Leaning to it, he felt the anticipation of desire and drug his tongue over the raised flesh, shivers ran from the mark and touched every inch of both of their bodies. Kagome bit her lip and tipped her head back a little to give him more. He took what she offered with excitement but could not act on the desire that welled up in him while the woman and child were here to witness.

He was not satisfied to let her go but did so that the four of them could continue through the countryside. When night fell, Sesshomaru summoned his nimbus and covered a great amount of distance with Kagome's guidance. He was concerned about traveling the roads at night with so much at stake, they accepted his offer and he even felt the woman and child fall asleep while they flew in silence.

Landing on the stairs he evaporated the cloud and stepped onto the land gracefully. Kikyou came awake with a gasp and rubbed her bottom as she landed on the stair with a hard thump. " you could have warned us." she said and kagome looked at sesshomaru wondering why he liked to incur kikyo's wrath. He shrugged.

Kikyou ascended the stairs. " i will go to aunt kaoru and tell her that we've arrived." she said over her shoulder. Kagome Saw the excitement in her pace and sighed looking up at the shrine entrance.

The shrine was perched atop of a mountain looming far above a metropolitan of villages that connected through intricate roadways. Kagome looked at the shrine and was perplexed with the mixed emotions that filtered through her. " i hated living here." she said aloud and looked at sesshomaru.

" there is nothing here that i want to revisit" he said and she snorted.

" me neither, but i'm here, you know it's been seven years and everything is still the same, i even still look the same, but don't tell kikyou that, she is the younger twin." kagome smiled

" seven years is like the blink of an eye for my kind, i have not even ages a full year since coming to you." sesshomaru said feeling as if she were making too big of a deal about the passage of time. " there will be centuries ahead of us." he reminded her and she shook her head.

" i don't know about that, i'm still human, but i will cherish the time that we do have, inuyasha seems to be aging much faster than even you anticipated, he getting so tall already." she said proudly, sesshomaru frowned and looked at the boy whose feet nearly touched the ground though kagome still insisted on carrying him. " this is where i found him." she hugged him tighter thinking about the years they'd been together.

To her it had felt like a dream, with sesshomaru and inuyasha by her side. She watched inuyasha grow up with pride, she saw how much he cared about others and had pride in himself, and was ecstatic about everything he did. She watched him follow after his brother in much the same way as when he was an infant, but the relationship between them had not improved.

" i know that," he answered not wanting to revisit that night. Kagome turned and saw the distress in his eyes and reached out to touch his arm with her hand. Inuyasha shifted in her arms and wrapped his arms around her to keep himself still. " i will leave you to attend your aunt, shippo is at home alone, and i would like to ensure we have someplace to go back to when this is over" he said before turning and going to where he could see the open sky.

" then i will say good bye." she went to him and leaned her head against his shoulder and raised on her toes to kiss the side of his face.

He turned and cupped the side of her face to kiss her deeply and then swept down the stairs and then into the distance.

Sesshomaru fleas from that place with the thoughts of that night fresh in his mind. His father had begged him to protect his brother and changed his heart, it had been just a blink of an eye to him and he had made that change. " i did not do it for you." he growled thinking about his father's callous manner. " i did it for me."

Somewhere from the back of Kikyou''s Hut, Shippo looked around at the darkness that shrouded him. He laid back on the futon and tried to close his eyes, it had been years since he had spent the night alone and he struggled to fall asleep.

"Little fox?"

Shippo sat up and went to the window to scan the clearing. Seeing no one he scented the air and recoiled. "Ugh. What are you doing here? Go away cat!" Shippo shut the shutters and went to the door to push a heavy chest in front if it.

"I brought a message for that dog…. I can't find him though. Let me in." the feline stood at the door and yowled until shippo wanted to claw his ears off.

"Go away Ren. Youkio warned me never to trust you! Why isn't he here if his is so important?" Shippo called him out on his lie and Ren groaned.

"It's about Youkio. He needs help."


	28. i will see to it myself

Shippo snarled and jumped after the demon that had begun to dismantle the house, breaking one thing at a time. "Geeze Ren! Stop jumping around, and go outside I will find the herbs to help with a serious headache, it should at least help Youkio." he said making the neko growl and bat at his hand when he tried to shove him out of the way.

"I need the help of someone with more experience with demon politics, not some tonic for a cold.." Ren shifted into his humanoid form and reached up and turned immediately to the door when it was nearly torn it off of its hinges and the Inu he was waiting for showed himself.

"Another pest? Shippo how has he gotten in the hut. I told told you-" he said and Shippo held his hands up in feigned innocence.

"I didn't do it….He's a real pain, make him go, he keeps saying that Yukio is in danger, but I can't understand what he is talking about" Shippo reported, to Sesshomaru's dismay.

Sesshomaru recalled the disdain that his mother had for the black haired cat demon, he was a near copy of Youkio, except for the hair. "cat, is Youkio in danger or isn't he?" he asked and he cat turned on him.

"If my brother was in immediate danger I would not be here. No, my brother has lost his will to live. One of his children was forced into an arranged marriage and he has been a shadow of himself since she was taken. He won't eat, or sleep, he is just sitting I to the distance and not even Mika can shake him. He had talked about you often as a friend, please go to him. He's dying!" Ren shouted. Sesshomaru thought back to his acquaintance and recalled that he had mentioned having at least a dozen children.

"Not my problem." Sesshomaru said and went to the cat demon and gripped him by the collar of the haori and the hauled him out of Kikyou's hut. He looked around after destruction and knew he was going to hear about this for months. He growled and threw the neko, for the second time today feeling as if he was going to rip someone apart. "I have enough to deal with. I cannot aid Youkio with politics."

Ren hissed and began to pace back and forth like he was going to attack him. Sesshomaru eyed the cat with thinning patience and struck him down when he flew at him with claws bared. Sesshomaru gripped the hilt of his sword and was burned back. Flexing his claws he raked them across the cat's chest guard and sent him back flying into the trees. Ren coughed and charged again. " he asked for you. There is no one else who he will see. Come with me now or…. I will make you." he hissed and Sesshomaru scoffed.

"You think you can control me? Foolish cat." he growled and Ren smirked.

"Foolish? No, not foolish, cunning. I anticipated your refusal and have made an arrangement with a friend of mine. This friend is powerful and has a particular interest in you. Come with me and I will not give the location of your most precious treasure. If you do not, it will only be a matter of time before it is stolen and there will be nothing you can do about it." Ren said and felt the full weight of Sesshomaru's smirk.

"I will not be bothered with your problems. If Youkio truly wanted my help he would have come." he growled and Ren shook his head.

"He is absorbed in his misery, you do not know what it's like to lose someone. He's deranged. Come with me. Now." he said and Sesshomaru was reluctant to be pushed.

Ren saw the hesitance and was enraged, he had found this, mangy son of an aristocrat and was not impressed at all by what he saw. When the demon told him to go he stepped into the shadows and vowed to follow through with his threat. " you will fall on this one's sword if you ever come here again" he said and Ren laughed.

"Your kami has rejected me, that sword can not touch me. But before three days are ended you will wish you had come with me." he said and then disappeared.

Shippo watched him leave and felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. " lord Sesshomaru, I don't trust him." Shippo said and began to pick up the broken pieces of pottery and wooden utensils.

Reaching to the the sword that was standing against the sill of the window, he grasped the hilt and thought about the power that he had gained since the death of his father. He had grown from the bitter creature of habit and vengeance and had turned his back on everything that reminded him of the darkness he had once lived in. Taking on the task of judging demons was making him stronger and more feared than he had been even as an element of the inu warriors.

Looking around d the empty space he was reminded of that bitterness and tried to bury it. She was earnest, and had tried to reassure him that she would be alright staying there. He wanted to go to her.

Walking back to the hut he told Shippo to clean up and he would be back at dawn. Shippo rolled his eyes as he watched the demon walk away, it was a sight he was used to seeing but the kit just shook his head and thought about how he was going to torture Jakken until Sesshomaru got back. Sesshomaru crossed a great distance in order that catch wind of his human. He could smell her fragrance from where he drifted above the shrine.

Looking down he scanned the shrine grounds and watched the late night bustling of both priests and shrine maidens. He didn't see Kagome anywhere but he felt the brush of her powers as he approached. He smirked realizing that she was looking for him and landed not far out of the shrine.

He was stealthy slipping past the gate and making his way to the place Kagome sat meditating. She was alone, he could scent Inuyasha with Kikyou and was as silent as the dead when he pulled back the sliding door to the sitting room. Kagome's back was to him, her hair covering her shoulders. Coming to sit behind her, he slowly moved the hair and his lips dropped to the skin of her neck.

Stealing her for himself he grabbed on to her and flead from the shrine with her stumbling behind him. She laughed aloud when she saw his excitement and fell into his kiss.

Sesshomaru turned to lay his head on her breasts and nuzzled them as she shifted to accommodate his larger frame. "Will you tell me what is bothering you." she said feathering her fingers through his hair. He looked at her searching eyes and the small frown deepened.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her shifting to get comfortable"I have not had the most comfortable day." he muttered into her chest appreciating how comfortable he was at the moment.

"What happened when you went home yesterday?" she asked

"The cat was in our territory, trying to get me to go to Youkio." he said biting his lip still not sure how he felt about the situation.

"Did you go?" she asked and he shook his head.

"It's not my problem. I don't even know why he asked." he said and planted his face between her breasts muffling the sound of his voice. Kagome gasped.

"I thought you liked Youkio. Aren't you friends?" she asked and he looked at her and raised one brow.

"I do not have friends." he said and Kagome frowned and narrowed her eyes at him.

"That is so wrong. I recall Youkio being the first friend you made, you and he got along better than you and i do, doesn't that mean something to you?" she asked and his eyelids dropped and she saw that it was not affecting him at all.

Kagome was getting angry with him, he was as cavalier about helping Youkio as he was about making friends with his brother. She didn't see the need to be so heartless. Trying to sit up, Kagome shook her head at him and he scented her disappointment. "I have been safeguarding what i want. For me there is nothing else." he urged her to accept this and yet he saw how clearly she was upset by his actions.

"In all this time Sesshomaru, I had hoped that your world would get just a little bigger than you and I. It's been really comfortable living the way we do, but there is a bigger world out there that needs people with actual strength to stand with them when they cannot help themselves. Do you understand? You have the power to help people." she said and he growled, not liking to be lectured after an already uncomfortable day.

"Why should i be the one to put myself into misery for other people. I have spent my entire life fighting other people's wars and i desire only the comfort of my mate and the solitude of the forest, beyond that, it's not my problem." he said getting irritated, Kagome gaped at him,

"If i had the strength you did i would help as many weaker people as i could. I don't understand how you can look at the suffering of others, after what you went through and still not care." she was amazed and repulsed and Sesshomaru raised himself off of her with exasperation.

"Why should i? They would take any opportunity to kill me given the chance. My father allowed me to starve until i was strong enough to fight my peers for the nourishment, i have trained to kill since i was just older than Inuyasha and i was forced into fighting wars for a clan that if it could have would have eaten me to remove me from the line of my people. Why should i care about others. They have never cared about me?" he growled .

"You are loved. The people of our village believe that you help them because you care about the welfare of the village. The farmers and merchants come looking for you because of the demons you've judged around our home. Why do you continue to fight if you do not care about protecting people." she asked and he shook his head.

"I don't care about protecting people. I want you to be happy, and safe." he said and Kagome sat up and took his cheek in her palm. He Bit his lip when she did not argue with him, her eyes were tainted with sadness and he felt himself starting to speak before he could stop himself "Would it truly make you happy to see if Youkio is okay?" he asked and Kagome sat up and leaned over him.

"I would be extremely disappointed if you didn't go to him." she said honestly. She thought he was being silly. She laughed shallowly and shook her head. "won't it be nice to visit him for a while?" she said and he thought about it for moment.

"I will go." he answered her scrutiny and felt the weight of This task as a stone in his stomach when he nodded. Kagome smiled and leaned to kiss his nose before putting her head on his chest and snuggling in. Burying his nose in her hair he smelled her contentment and put his worries aside. He was strong, undefeated and any task that stood before him would fall, like his many victims.

They stayed in each others company for a long time before he left her. She followed him out to the forest and watched as he began to walk down the stairs and into the distance.

"I love you." Kagome called as she watched Sesshomaru walk into the night. It was nearly dawn and she had not completed her ritual meditation. She lingered on the path watching Sesshomaru stride into the undergrowth before peering back at the shrine and starting back towards it.

Kagome slipped past the guards and went back to the building where her incense were already burned down.

"Mom?" Inuyasha's small voice called through the sliding door of the shrine.

"Inuyasha aren't you supposed to be with Kikyou?" she turned and opened the door beckoning him in and helping him when he struggled up the stair.

"I'm not allowed to be apart of the cleansing ceremony, so she sent me here." he yawned and she sighed taking him in her arms when he came to her. " I don't like it here, the women here don't like me. They talk about me like I'm going to bite them if they walk to close to me-I want to go home." he said and buried his face in her shoulder.

Kagome shook her head feeling helpless. "To tell you the truth i don't much care for it here either. You may stay with me as long as you like Inuyasha. I am preparing a tonic for my aunt. Her chest cold has not gotten any better, even with all of the medical attention." she said shook her head. " i just don't know what to do if she doesn't get better, i don't want to stay here." she vented.

Inuyasha knew what she was talking about, she wasn't like the other priestesses, they expected strict etiquette and scolded her often about her ability to cook and make potions like the others did. She had her own way of doing things, and she was talented, but it didn't look or smell like the other priestesses options and so she was rejected.

He felt the same kind of loathing from them when he called after her or approached one of the women too quickly, one had even tried to beat him with her cane when his mother intercepted and chastised the woman. " don't put your hands on my son." she had of the priestesses wanted him around, and they whispered about his brother and he knew the fear and anger they held towards his kind.

There were few hours spent in the work room, he had nodded off a while ago and Kagome bent down to pick Inuyasha's sleeping body from the cushion and he grasped on to her like a lifeline. She took him to her annex and laid him down on her futon.

Inuyasha rolled over onto the futon and gripped her sleeve, asking her to stay. Kagome promised herself that she would get up after a few moments of rest, but, found the pull of sleep too tempting when Inuyasha clung to her and buried his nose into the scar at the juncture of her neck, he breathed warm air across the sensitive skin her eyelids closed in sleep..

The two snuggled into the mid morning when the sun's rays touched her face and startled her from a content sleep. "Inuyasha. Wake up, it's morning." she yawned and leaned over to caress a soft inu ear. It twitched under the attention and he came awake.

he smiled and rolled over to throw his arms around her excitedly. She could not help but smile when he grabbed her and laid kisses on her chin and cheeks.

Sesshomaru was southbound looking for the farthest island, he recalled the directions given and was searching for the familiar scent of neko demon. Youkio was not far, though Sesshomaru's interest was peaked when he heard the shrieking of a human child. The sound was piercing and sent him into an instant rage.

Rage at the sound, and the fear that violated his senses made him land. He wanted it to stop, wanted whatever creature that made it to pay. Sesshomaru growled and strode through the undergrowth. He scented a demon ogre and growled recalling the destructive stampeding that made them deadly. It was a human child that raised the shrill tones, he was clawing at the bark of a tree trying to climb further out of reach as the ogre reached to grab him.

Sesshomaru considered turning away and continuing his own journey when the child saw him. " help me please!" He screamed and the ogre turned to him. Sesshomaru was offended at being made to get involved with this child's life and was walking away when the ogre grabbed the child and the screaming tripled in volume. Sesshomaru wanted to claw his ears off and rushed the ogre in an instant.

"I want this screaming to stop…. Now!" he growled and punched the ogre knocking him out. The child scurried out of its hand and locked eyes on his Savior.

The boy was just another human, from a village close by Sesshomaru guessed. He came before the stoic demon lord and bowed low. "You have saved my life, lord demon, I am so grateful." he raised his head when he heard Sesshomaru walking away.

"Boy there is only one kind of strength, that is the strength to defend yourself. You must learn this to survive." he said and the boy smiled.

"Thank you twice, though i am just a boy, what can I do?" he laughed and stood from the ground and raised his hand for Sesshomaru to take it. "Please could you help me find my parents, I was scared and ran when we were attacked." he looked up at Sesshomaru with hope and innocence.

Sesshomaru was not affected by the child's pleas and began to walk away. The boy was behind him, following him without saying a word though Sesshomaru gave no indication that he would do as the boy wanted. He wished Jakken had come, the toad was great at terrorizing children, meanwhile he walked uncomfortably slow and waited for the child when he realized the tiny beast wasn't going to leave him alone.

Scenting the rest of his pack, Sesshomaru veered off and walked to the clearing that housed several huts clustered together beside a human pathway.

People screamed when they saw the demon male enter the clearing. Several of them gathered with what weapons they carried with them and met him to bar his entrance into the village. The boy ran in front of him and held up his hands , stopping them. "Wait, chief, this demon has lead me home, and saved me from an ogre. He is my Savior, father." the child rushed passed the demon and stopped his father from attacking.

The chief of the small village looked at Sesshomaru with awe and dropped his weapon. Behind him a woman rushed through the crowd and dropped to her knees hugging the child and crying. "never run from from me like that again, I was so scared." the boys mother chastised him holding him tightly. The man that stood above them watching the exchange with tears in his own eyes.

" you have returned my son, thank you

This village is in your debt…. How can we repay you?" the village chief said and Sesshomaru began to walk away.

"I do not want anything from this village, keep your heir and live" he said and disappeared into the forest once more. He heard pounding footsteps behind him and turned to see, not the child, but his mother running after him.

"that is not right, lord demon, I want you to have something as a reward for giving my husband and I our life back. He is everything to us and we cannot let you walk away empty handed." she urged him and Sesshomaru took a step back.

"I do not value things as most do, keep your trinkets and gold for yourself." he said as he had to the villagers in his own home. She shook her head but but the pouch back that contained gold pieces.

She paused and smiled. " them I will give you something unseen. Our loyalty to the demons of the inu tribe-"

"I am not associated with them." he interrupted. "I Sesshomaru am a demon of my own honor." he said and she smiled.

"lord Sesshomaru, this village gives its loyalty to you, you will always be remembered and welcomed here." she bowed and knew when he had walked away. The woman smiled to herself and went back to her husband and the rest of the village that waited for her.

Sesshomaru mumbled to himself as he walked closer to his old friend. He could smell neko close but could not tell through the scent of grief weather it was him or not.

Coming to a stop, he scented the fast approach of a small neko and turned his eyes to the bushes when the creature stopped. Sesshomaru was not in the mood to play and demanded the boy out. A red haired neko child stepped from the bushes as a perfect mirror of his father. " are you lord Sesshomaru?" he asked and Sesshomaru looked down at the five year old child.

"I am" he answers and the boy nodded and bowed.

" please come with me, mother told me to meet you out here, the way in is kind of tricky." he said and looked the demon over with big yellow eyes. Sesshomaru marveled at how close the child looked like his father and actually wondered what the others looked like.

"take me to your father." he said and the boy looked up at him and flashed a small fang in a smirk.

"prepare yourself, he's mad." the boy said and jumped to the top of a boulder that stood thirteen feet tall. Sesshomaru jumped up behind him And followed him through a complicated route to the shore and then showed him the boat that he had taken from the island.

"I am prepared, let us go to him now."


	29. where is she

Kagome hurried to the main meeting hall and walked past the dining room to the cooking area. Inuyasha was quiet,

Going into the kitchens after her, he followed Kagome to the pantry that served as food and looked around for things she recognized. She pulled out some vegetables and some tofu and went for some water from the well for their soup pot. " you know it's been forever since your brother has let me cook, and i don't mean roast meat over the fire, i do that enough, but actually cook. He hates vegetables-" she smiled

" me too." inuyasha snickered and went to the stove to lite a cookfire.

Inuyasha stood back and watched somewhat skeptically as Kagome began to cook from memory reserves that she had seldom used in the last several years. She admitted that it would probably be terrible before they started eating, but was even disappointed at the results. " i used to be good at this." she shook her head

" i can still go hunting if you want me too." inuyasha jumped in and tried to be polite. She was embarrassed and almost in tears because of frustration.

" you might have to...this is the worst." Kagome tried to. " let's go see aunt kaoru after this, she loves to visit with you." kagome smiled and inuyasha furrowed his brows.

" she's always touching my ears. Its annoying." he complained and wrinkled his nose when kagome reached forward and tweaked one. " hey!" she said flattening his ear to his head.

Kagome started to laugh then and was about to reach over and tackle inuyasha when she heard the voices of some of the priestesses drawing nearer. She looked around for someplace to go and sighed when she found nowhere but there. She watched the closed door and wondered if they would enter.

" -it's no wonder Lady Kaoru has decided to give the shrine over to Lady Kikyou. Look at Lady Kagome's potions, she's sloppy and does not have the correct consistencies.- her posture is atrocious when she's doing her exorcisms and her kanji is nearly unreadable. How do you end up still getting everything you want, being so… average.. though who could expect more, from a woman who allows a dog into her bed." she scoffed and Kagome stood and yanked the door open to expose the priestesses.

Kagome went to leave, Inuyasha followed her not turning his back on the angry priestesses and growling a low warning to them until they were out of sight. He didn't like how they judged them, or how they looked at him like he was filthy, In his mind he was no different than anyone else and didn't understand why they hate him.

"It's because of me." he said quietly and Kagome made him keep up with her when she continued walking toward the empty storehouses.

"No, it's not your fault. I have never fit in here. It's always been this way. If anything you gave me something that allowed me to find another life... I don't have good manners. My father never really focused on that." she said laughed at the memory of her father. Inuyasha nodded smiled when she did. She didn't seem to be angry with him, and so he tried to take some comfort in her reminiscing. She was tired, even going to sit with Kaoru she did not get peace from the toadying priestesses and was on the verge of telling Kikyou that she could stay if she wanted but she had had just about enough of this.

Kagome took Inuyasha with her when she began to oversee the preparations for a village leader to visit the shrine. Kagome took the job half because the workload would almost ensure she spent a great deal of time focused on it and she knew that if she spearheaded the project, the other priestesses wouldn't bother helping her, she was right

Kagome turned to look at the finished set up of short tables and cushions, and then at Inuyasha who was beginning to get bored of rearranging furniture, and was stretched out backward on a large cushion with bare foot in the air looking at the slats in the roof between his toes.

Patiently, she coaxed him up so she could move his pillow to the front of the room where the village leader would sit. Having the arrangement finished, she thought about entertaining a village head and was not looking forward to it. He wanted to make a plan for the demon attacks, and recognize her and Kikyou for their work banishing demons. She and Kikyou were prepared for the demons, after dealing with Sesshomaru's territory confrontations, they were convinced that this would be no problem.

"Mother I hear something. There is screaming coming from the village. " he said and looked around. There was nothing he could smell, his senses were a little disoriented from the spiritual energy around him though he was used to the constant battering at his demonic aura.

Kagome sent her power out onto the land to feel for any auras that weren't natural to the area. She sensed the prickling against their territory markers, and felt the demon within the area.

"there is a demon close. The village will need our help"she said and the two of them hastened to the annex that served as their living space. She opened the door hurriedly and missed the warning Inuyasha tried to give and walked in without so much as a knock. She heard Kikyo's dismayed shriek and covered her eyes.

"Kikyou, there is a demon in the village…. Oh Haku, I didn't know you were here! Honestly, sorry." she said innocently though her face was scarlet from catching them in a passionate embrace. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose from the scent.

Kohaku looked at Kikyou and whispered an apology before standing and addressing Kagome. He was embarrassed at being caught, but Kagome was more compassionate than he expected shaking her head at his apology. "Lady Kagome, there has been a great demon roaming the countryside for a few days now. I'm tracking it now, that is what brought me here initially... The demon is hunting something here, and I want to know what it is." he explained and Kikyou approached her sister worried.

"Kagome where is Sesshomaru?" she asked quietly and Kagome looked around to see if anyone was listening.

"He is gone to see a friend of ours." she answered feeling a knot in her stomach. "we're on our own, we have to take care of this ourselves."

Kikyou and Kagome had their things ready and were at the gate of the shrine when a courier came flying down the path way and he panted doubling over when he got to them. "Lady, priestesses there is a demon rampaging through the village at the foothills of this shrine. We need you immediately." he gasped sucking in breaths and expelling them hurriedly. He was wobbly and Kikyou reached out to steady him

" please rest, take water. We are on our way now." Kikyou said with Kagome and Kohaku right behind her.

"You already knew? Truly the kami are with you. Please save our village." he called as they hurried down the steps.

Feeling Inuyasha start to fall behind, Kagome scooped him up and he grasped on to her as she ran to the village. Chanting a charm of revitalization the three ran with abandon down to the village drawing a crowd of priestesses behind them and forming a small force of spiritualists before, even arriving at the village.

A giant boar demon was rampaging, goring villagers and crushing huts and causing calamity in the streets. The buildings and carts were being demolished in its raging. Their magic slowed him, but he was still fighting through the web of tendrils that wrapped around him. Kagome looked at the demon slayer who began to break away from the group and was amazed at the change of demeanor.

Kagome saw Kohaku as the warrior he was when he stepped away from them. he withdrew a pair of chained scythes from his robes and then meticulously unwrapped his outer covering to reveal a leather slayers suit. He placed a mask over his face and dared the demon to charge him.

Seeing him, the boar began to charge, sounding off a shrill screech that made Inuyasha scream in pain covering his ears. Kohaku steadied himself and grasped onto its side when he tried to gore him. He jammed the point of the scythe into its neck, making blood spray like a fountain. Charging into a wooden post that still stood through his trampling, he brushed against it, scraping his side and trying to rid himself of Kohaku's blades.

Gripping on tightly, he stabbed the other scythe into the boar's neck and jumped onto it's back holding on tightly as it began to buck wildly, woofing with its strange guttural sound as the blood began to bleed from its mouth

Kagome and Kikyou took hold of her priestess hands and began to purify the demon. It fought against them but with the two of them in sync with the others power, the demon dropped out from under Kohaku and the twins sagged from the release of energy.

Directing the shrine maidens to help where they could, Kikyou began to look for survivors.

The girls worked around the village as they were needed. Kagome looked at the demons corps and wondered what they would do with it.

Inuyasha stood beside her and looked at the giant corpse, he felt his stomach growl.

And glanced at her from the side " Mother, will we throw this away…. Or can we have a feast tonight, the meat smells good. I-" he stammered and Kohaku sniggered seeing that Inuyasha was obviously eyeing the boar hungrily.

"Lady Kagome, let the men of this village take care of this great boar and we will celebrate a successful defeat here today. The boy is right, there is no reason to waste such a fine opportunity to eat like the empirical court." Kohaku said and Inuyasha's eyes lit up, he could barely contain the excitement. Kagome looked at Inuyasha as he tried to stop squirming enough for her to agree to the option, and she examined the town, the villagers, and then Inuyasha who looked absolutely adorable with his ears back and his hands clasped together pleading.

" alright, let's do this" she smiled.

Sesshomaru was amused by the sullen attitude if the neko Kit that lead him to the cluster of small huts. There had been no questions, no comments only a deadpanned expression that had the normally quiet demon was almost squirming from the silent treatment.

Every once in awhile the boy would turn and regard him with an almost hostile look and then turn and continue rowing the boat as if he expected Sesshomaru to help. Finding his attitude some what distracting Sesshomaru didn't see the other neko standing on the shore.

"Haru, what is this? A dog, why is he here when we are trying to get Mawata back." the brown haired neko girl stared the boy down and he broke his stoic facade with a frown.

"Reena, Mother told me to wait for fathers friend... He asked for father, so I am bringing him home." the boy said defensively. Sesshomaru nearly saw the boys hackles raise at his sister's commenting. She preened a little and then looked at the demon Lord considering. Sesshomaru was annoyed at her inspection and began to walk away. The boy followed, sticking his tongue out at the elder neko and thinking that the dog demon was a little cooler, seeing that he could ignore his sister too.

She followed after them a little smugly " you smell funny." she commented and tried to keep up with Sesshomaru's long stride. He was taking a full step not worrying about the neko that were trailing him, but the two kept pace and bickered, for what seemed like no other reason but to fill the silence. The boy, was miserable.

"why can't you just leave me alone!" he turned and yelled at her. Reena smiled and looked down at her brother with amusement, and pounced on him, wrestling with him until another neko came to break them up. He was a strong looking youth that looked like a teen to Sesshomaru who hadn't tracked the maturation of neko to accurately guess his age.

He was dark haired like Ren, but his features were more angled with large green eyes instead of the yellow that his father and uncle possessed. The youth came over and did not hesitate to separate them, he took the boy in his hold and held the girl back with his foot. "leave him alone Reena." he said angrily. The boy clung to his brother and glared at his elder sister. "father would be disappointed to see you acting so shamelessly in front of his guest. Doesn't he have enough to worry about." the dark haired teen said with irritation plain in his voice.

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at the boys defense of his younger brother, he was curious about the loyalty between them, it was obvious that there was a deep bond between the siblings even the girl was only more roused to annoy them from his irritation with her.

"I was just having fun" She started and the boy was not interested in her teasing. " he hasn't said anything." she huffed and looked up at Sesshomaru with expectation.

He didn't react to her, and was still walking away when the group of neko yelled after him and hastened to catch up, again. " I beg your forgiveness for my siblings. They don't know how to act around guests, father has such few guests and none of them are canine. You have us a little on edge, Lord Sesshomaru." the eldest boy said taking on the lead.

" this is a matter of importance, I have come to help." he answered making the youth sigh in relief.

" I can't tell you what this means to us. We are all grateful that you answered uncles call. We were all worried when he volunteered to go…. He's not known for reliability and Father begged anyone other than him to go, but uncle was gone before anyone could stop him" the boy went on.

As he talked the dark haired youth led them down a trail that opened into a lush garden. There were neko kittens playing in the grass and an older female chasing them around. She was laughing and Sesshomaru was reminded of Kagome, realizing that she was most likely Youkio's mate.

She stopped when she saw him and so did all of the children at once, as though hey had been caught by a predator. He waited until she acknowledged him before continuing into the garden.

"are you Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked and he nodded once. She sighed relieved and went to him stopping about two arm lengths away. As they were talking a demon hawk flew into the clearing and the neko woman turned to him with dread.

"Mika, how nice to see you." the demon manifested unto a humanoid form and addressed her, though his face didn't reflect the interest his words held. The hawks eyes scanned over the children and Sesshomaru heard one of the small girls cry out when his eyes swept over her hungrily. " where is Youkio, my business is with him." he snapped annoyed that no one had moved since he landed.

"leave us alone!" the ginger haired youth that had retrieved Sesshomaru stepped forward with his pouty glare and flexed his small claws at the hawk.

The golden haired hawk demon smirked at the neko child. "show some respect, boy … Then again my master could always use another slave." he said and quieted the group. Sesshomaru didn't like birds. He hated the one that had threatened Kagome and this one was no different in his sight.

"Tano what do you want from me." Youkio Thundered. He emerged from a small hut looking as if he hadn't bathed or eaten in days. He staggered out onto the grass and grabbed a hold of the hawks front. "what more?" he rasped and the hawk gripped his clenched fists and tried to free himself.

"there is a matter of the money you owe for your daughter's protection, there are a few very interested buyers that with the right opportunity could take the burden from both you and your mate." he nodded toward Mika and Youkio grabbed at his throat.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and gripped the hawk demons shoulder. "is this a matter of money?" he asked and the hawk demon scoffed.

"what are you? Who do you think you are to address the personal retainer of master Tetsu I am almost royalty you no named mutt." he looked down at the silver haired inu demon and was not prepared when the dog demons hand shot out and drug him off the ground by his throat.

"I am Sesshomaru, eldest son of the great general and the ruling Lady of the floating inu city, the likes of you will never dare to talk down to me again." he growled with his nose an inch from the hawks. Golden eyes locked in challenge and the hawk realized quickly that he could not get away.

The hawk demon swallowed down the fear that this from had stirred in him and he looked at the faces other demons around them and saw the smug satisfaction on Youkio's face

"this is none of your business-" he tried to intimidate the demon by attempting to sound confident.

Sesshomaru smirked and tightened his grip. " you have made it my business with the trouble you have caused. I demand you take me at once to see your Master. I will negotiate for the release of the girl." he growled and threw the hawk demon down. He landed with a hard thump and groaned in pain before falling to unconscious

Youkio went to his old friend and bowed low. "Lord Sesshomaru, I am so grateful that you have come." he said shakily. It was the first time he had locked eyes on his friend since parting ways at the mountain of the black inu. He looked up when Sesshomaru didn't answer him and was surprised to find the inu demon looking down at his youngest daughter that was bowed beside him.

"thank you for helping us." she said after him. Youkio bent to pick her up and the small girl clung to him when he stepped closer to the demon Lord.

Sesshomaru saw the interaction between the two and was surprised again at how much these people acted as though this was normal. He looked around at the children playing, and the female that stood on alert and then looked down at the hawk demon and was enraged.

"Youkio, you have my help. Let's make fast work of this and go now." he said and Youkio nodded and turned to do to his hut to prepare his things to leave. Youkio called to his eldest son to help him find his armour. Sesshomaru was surprised and commented on it, earning a giggle from the girl that had taken an interest in him.

The ginger neko girl was smiling and staring at him. She closed one eye and began to trace him in the air with her finger, which made his brow wrinkled and he looked around to see if anyone would intercede for him. " you are pretty" she said after a while. He scoffed.

" I am not." he said flatly.


	30. i will get her back

She smiled at him and bent to pick him a dandelion from the grass, offering it to him. "here, this will look really good in your hair, mama says yellow and white go together...like the kimono that papa got me in the city. Do you want to see? Mama says it is beautiful on me." she said twirling around and making her Mother laugh.

"Let the man be," Mika said scooting her youngest away from the warrior.

"...but mama, I was just being nice. Papa always says 'be nice to everyone, even funny looking toads and bird demons'." she said trying to mimic her father's voice. Youkio emerged from the hut with his cloths in order and a chest plate firmly in place. He had armguards and a sword strapped to his side, much different then the journey to the inu city, Sesshomaru noticed.

"We will go now. Mika. Ban, Reena, please help your Mother look after every one. I will be back as soon as Mawata is safe." he said and Sesshomaru watched as each of the children said their goodbyes and he turned to the stoic demon. He was kind of frazzled, emotional and even more so when the youngest girl didn't want to let him go. She clung to him and cried loudly when Mika came to pull her off of him. "I will be back darling." he repeated until the girl called down to some degree of sensibility.

"papa come back." she shouted.

"he has to go… Who is going to bring Mawata home if father doesn't go after her. Everything will be okay." Ban said trying to reassure his youngest sister.

Sesshomaru bent to the hawk demon that still lay unconscious and gripped his arm to drag him. He scented the hawk and felt for the corresponding scents that would lead him to the lair of this demon Lord. Youkio was not far behind him, and by the time Sesshomaru had made it to the boat, the slightly distracted neko was stumbling into the boat after him.

"this fool can drown in the sea for all I care." he hissed as he stepped into the boat. Sesshomaru was tempted to drop him, but felt the burning of the sword that always stayed his hand. He was beginning to feel the battering against his will power. The demons cried for blood and he was reluctant still to sate its appetite.

Youkio read the indecision on him and was curious. " the kami still haunts you." he said and shook his head. " what a frightening power that child has." he said remembering the incident clearly.

Sesshomaru watched Youkio as untied the boat and pushed it out to the deeper water. When he got in, he flopped and covered his eyes with his arm. "I just can't take it. They all are hoping that I can get her back. I have tried-"

"Do not worry any more, we will get her back." Sesshomaru said glancing down at the hawk demon. When they got to the mainland Youkio tied the boat to an anchor and they hoisted the demon on to the shore. "wake him up." he smirked.

Youkio took great joy in waking the hawk demon. He sat on his chest, gripping the feathers at the back of his neck and punching him hard in the face. The hawk came awake with a shout of pain and started fighting like he was going to overtake Youkio.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and stepped on the hawks sleeve as he raised his fist, stopping him and making him look up from the black boot and into the eyes of an unamused inuyoukai. "filthy dog. You will be imprisoned for putting your filthy paws on me."

Sesshomaru nodded to Youkio and the cat demon didn't want to get off of the hawk demon. " you tell me where Mawata is. You tell me now, or I will eat you alive" he said transforming into his giant cat form. Growling with teeth bared, the cat demon really did motion to eat him as Sesshomaru shook his head and hauled the demon hawk up onto his feet and knocked Youkio to the ground.

Sesshomaru decided to use more traditional methods to get him to talk. " you tell me where your master's lair is, or...for every second you delay I will break a bone." he challenged and gripped the wrist of the demon hawk and snapped the twin bones.

" you said 'a' bone you bastard, you broke two." he screamed and Sesshomaru got a rush of malice that wet his appetite for blood. He could easily kill this demon. Felt the urge to do it through his veins, and the battering of the demon sword wanting to devour his soul. The demons called for blood, they called for power and Sesshomaru was nearly swayed by the lust of it.

The hawk dangled in his grip and Sesshomaru reached for his upper arm and the demon flinched " I will take you." he said and Youkio hissed.

" Tano you spineless coward at least make this fun for us." he hissed and the hawk demon glared at him before turning his eyes on Sesshomaru.

"Why are you involved this is a matter of business." the hawk chirped angrily.

" Youkio is my friend," he said aloud and Youkio stood a little taller and nodded thinking it was great he had said it out loud. " it is my business, now take me to this lair before I start getting bored."

" you could never get there on foot, give up now." he said and Sesshomaru laughed, making both Youkio and the hawk demon pause in fear.

"Try me." he said and manifested his cloud beneath his feet. " Youkio come." he said and Youkio stepped onto the nimbus with hesitance. When the three were ready to take off Youkio grabbed onto his tail and Sesshomaru nearly pushed him off of the cloud. " Youkio, let go of my tail before I dangle you by yours from the side." he growled and Youkio chuckled and let go.

" how I have missed you, Sesshomaru. Tell me how is Kagome, she must be getting older, it's been nearly ten years since I last saw her."

" she is not, her appearance and scent are the same, she is attending some family business as well, I would like to return to her soon." he commented and Youkio laughed.

" remember when you used to fight all the time." he recalled

" yesterday?" he remarked and Youkio laughed aloud.

" she has been rubbing off on you, your anger is a lot less, and you seem to be happy. How is the boy? Shippo? And if Kagome isn't ageing is has she been cursed by that kami child into eternal youth. You might be old compared to her one day, wouldnt that be something." he scoffed.

" Shippo is fine, the boy is fine, Kagome isn't going to outlive me, I am still eons from death." he said and Youkio smirked.

" that is, while you stay out of the fighting. These days death lays around the next corner, always. I have had to learn to fight since the head of the council was murdered three years ago. There has been a huge conflict between tribes for territory. I heard that your tribe was nearly wiped out from warring last year. There are just thirty warriors left. And the mountain clans have become nearly unstoppable." Youkio shared making Sesshomaru take a second to think carefully about his words.

" that is why there has been so many trespassers, the head of the council was murdered, who is in his place then?" Sesshomaru asked recalling the ancient demon with interest, he had been the greatest general before Sesshomaru's father had even been born, who could have killed him he thought.

" you won't like it. He didn't replace him, but the condor Ren loosed in the inu city is the one that killed him. He was eaten, and then the bird races began to assert themselves and even now they are trying to take over power." Youkio sneered at the hawk who deadpanned and continued to look forward though his heart was racing and him wondering if he could get away from them though flight.

Sesshomaru growled and recalled the night that demon tried to steal Kagome from him. He hated that demon, wanted to bathe in his blood and yet he had been the one to kill the head of the council? Sesshomaru was perplexed, he thought of the Cat's threat and was instantly nervous about Kagome. Looking down at the hawk demon he held his tongue and was resolved to get this job finished and then return to her quickly.

The demons lair was a magnificent manor with high retaining walls and a large garden that created an almost calming effect on the group. Sesshomaru lead the messenger by the broken limb and threw him at the guard's feet when they approached.

Youkio stepped forward. " I want to see Lord Tetsu. Take me to him." he demanded and the demons began to balk.

"He said take them to Lord Tetsu! Hurry you damned fools." Tano shrieked and the guards stepped aside and the three went into the manor and navigated the twisting hallways until they came to a meeting hall. Youkio stopped and gasped at the sight of his daughter chained and forced to serve the Lord of the manor.

Youkio growled and began to fight to get into the room. Guards and servants barred his entrance, Sesshomaru saw the ginger haired neko female look up and begin to fight against the chains.

The Lord of the manor stood up and slapped the girl to the ground. Sesshomaru felt instant rage seeing her fall to the ground and hold her face, that was already purpling from the impact. Lord Tetsu stood and rebuked her for daring to fight him, then proceeded to kick her in the stomach and arms when she tried to cover her face and chest.

Somewhere inside of him, Sesshomaru began to recall the feel of boots colliding with his stomach and back, he nearly saw the smug smirk of his father as the demon Lord stared down at her with pure disdain. He couldn't stop himself, didn't even try as the servants around him ignored him in favor of the cat demon that made a ruckus in his outrage. Stepping past them lightly Sesshomaru reached the demon Lord, and without a second of hesitation he reefed his fist back to beat the demon Lord as he had been beating the girl.

Rage that he had been saving for his own father came out as he gripped Tetsu by the throat and began to choke the life from him. "filthy abusive trash. You are unfit to oversee the lives of your people, you are pure wretchedness. Die" he growled and his eyes began to bleed red. Fear. Hate. They were interchangeable at this point, and until Tetsu began to struggle from a lack of oxygen, the servants and guards ignored him.

At once, the room turned on Sesshomaru and every guard and servant was on him at once. He fought hard, maimed and injured every body that dared assault him until out of nowhere a club came down hard and everything went black.

"Lord Sesshomaru... Lord Sesshomaru." a voice above him tried to coax him awake and his hand shot to their throat still fighting in his mind. The girl's eyes widened and she gripped his wrist before he released her and sat up. He looked around and realized that they were in the dungeon. He assessed the state of his armour and found most of it gone. He groaned and then reached for the sword. It was still there. " they tried to take the sword from you but everyone who tried to touch it was burned away or went insane from whatever spirit possessed your sword.'

" this will be my only thanks to the kami that gave it to me then." he said and looked around the cell. There was nothing there except a pile of straw and Youkio who was sitting as one that was dead in the corner. " Youkio." he said and the girl shook her head.

" father hasn't said anything since we were brought here. I am Mawata. Thank you so much for coming to rescue me. I am sorry that it has come to this." she said and bowed. Sesshomaru shook his head and began to pace the parameter. He checked the bars and found them to be sturdy.

The door opened at the end of the block and Sesshomaru growled as Lord Tetsu paraded down the walk to where they were. He looked at the girl with lusty eyes and then snapped his fingers and a guard brought him a key. Sesshomaru saw the bruising all over the bird Lord. He was incensed and ground his teeth as he dangled the key in front of them. " the penalty for assaulting the Lord is death. Unfortunately, I have been made aware of your status as a general, and a village leaders son, with these hard times I cannot afford to offend the council. That being said. I will never be assaulted in my own home, you are sentenced to flogging, all of you." he said. Sesshomaru withdrew his sword and shoved it through the gut of the Lord.

Tetsu gasped and gripped the place that he had been stabbed and then barked a laugh. " to think we were afraid of your weapon. It made Udea insane but me is does not even cut! You have made my day." he said and began to walk away.

" Violet! Violet! Where are you!" he called. Sesshomaru was incensed. He hated being trapped. He hated being under the smug scrutiny of this demon Lord. The fact that his sword didn't work had him enraged beyond belief.

The dungeon stopped. Everything stopped and a door appeared on the side of the cell. " Sesshomaru! Thank goodness you called me or I would have never found you!" the child kami said and went to him to inspect his surroundings and health. He looked worse for wear.

" we are trapped here. Get us out." he said.

" she can't." Youkio wailed finally breaking his silence.

" what are you talking about, she is a kami, she can do anything if she really wants to." Sesshomaru said and Violet shook her head.

" I am the kami over judgement and righteousness, I govern those who adhere to my style of judgement for the betterment of others and community. These demons are being governed by another kami that rules chaos. He protects this people." she said and Sesshomaru was nearly enraged enough to transform inside of the cell. " calm down, we will get through this I brought someone that could help." she said and he regarded her with some consideration.

" you did?" he asked and Jakken stepped out from behind Violet.

" Lord Sesshomaru. I am at your service" he said proudly. Jakken was clothed in newer cloths he had never seen and holding a fully restored staff in his hand.

" Jakken, fire power, we are going through the lock." he said feeling somewhat relieved that the toad was there. They had formed a working relationship that made fighting with him at his side faster. Jakken stood ready and summoned fire from the beautiful face of his staff. Sesshomaru gripped the bars and summoned poison. The acid began to melt the metal around his hand and they worked a hole big enough to slip through when he was done.

" Sesshomaru, you have finally called on me for help, now you will carry me with you, at your request I will send you my judges. But know that while my guards are out of the dungeon it is vulnerable, you must return them quickly or the dungeon will relocate. Remember only in the direst need and only for a little while." she warned him giving him a button from her cloths. She rubbed the top and muttered a spell to give him access to her judges. He took it and she looked at Jakken with a pointed glance and Jakken nodded at her, understanding what she wanted from him.

The half kami disappeared and the guards reanimated and seeing the poison acid that had begun to melt the metal from the bars they were struck with outrage and fear.

" he melts the very metal from the prison cell!" the guard shouted at the other and the other guard began to fight him from running away. They had both tried to take the sword from his side, and though they had seen the incident with Lord Tetsu they didn't want to take a chance that he would still kill them.

Jakken laughed and turned his own acid on the guards, melting them down to bones and dancing when they were withered away.

"My Lord, let us escape this prison then!" he was elated. This was the kind of adventure he had always expected to have with his Lord. Sesshomaru stepped through the opening in the bars and waited expectantly for the other two to follow him. Mawata grabbed her father and helped him to his feet. Seeing the guards and door, Youkio was restored and laughed aloud as they stepped through the opening.

" Lord Sesshomaru, I can't tell you how upset I was that we were imprisoned. I am so glad that Ren found you. I begged Reena to go but brother left in the middle of the night." Youkio said.

" father... it's probably good that Reena stayed home, she is easily distracted." Mawata chuckled and Youkio grinned, nodding.

"Agree. You should have seen the scene she caused when Lord Sesshomaru came to our island. She and Haru were wrestling." he laughed and Mawata shook her head.

"Please. Lord Sesshomaru, forgive my siblings for their behavior. I have tried to influence them." she said and Sesshomaru was amused by the sincerity. He watched the neko girl and saw how much she turned to her father. She was his mirror, like the youngest boy, Mawata was a perfect mirror of her father. When they escaped the dungeon, they slipped into the hallway. Sesshomaru could not tell how far it was to the gates of the manor, and so he looked back at the three companions and motioned for them to stand close to him.

" if you can, grab onto me, Jakken, you know what to do." he said and began to transform.

Building broke away from around him, and he didn't stop until he was completely out of the manor, with most of it destroyed around him. His three companions gripped his tail and held on tightly.

Breaking free of the building, he launched himself off of the cliff into the air and began to fall. He heard Youkio scream loudly as they fell and Sesshomaru took a moment to chuckle before summoning the cloud beneath his giant paws and running into the distance.

Mawata climbed onto his back and shouted her excitement, throwing her hands into the air and whooping loudly. She called back to her father, and was delighted that the toad demon was as excited as she was. Jakken was holding on with a look of pure determination and pride.

" Lord Sesshomaru, we are unstoppable!" he shouted.

Sesshomaru landed on the shore of the south most point of the mainland, the boat was still there and in the setting sun, Sesshomaru was glad that he could go home now. Youkio was restored to his normal self, he even took the time to run his fingers through his hair and try to straighten his clothes to look less frazzled.

Sesshomaru went with them back to the island and was surrounded by all thirteen children when they arrived. Youkio gripped the group of kittens in an all encompassing hug and Mika went to Mawata and held her tightly while tears streamed down her face.

" Lord, Sessho, thank you so much. We made this for you while you were gone." the youngest girl came to him and presented a rice ball with care, and placed it in his hand when he reached out to her.

" I do not eat rice." he said but saw her disappointment and relented.

"You will like this one, mamma says everything is better when you make it with love." she smiled sweetly and Sesshomaru nearly smiled. He ate it in one bite, to get it over with, and she grinned happily. " mama! he said he liked it.!" she shouted and Mika laughed surprised.

Sesshomaru was enchanted at the easy way that the children approached and interacted with their father, Youkio noticed his curiosity and nodded understanding. " it's not the way we were raised." he commented gesturing to his large family.

"No." Sesshomaru answered. He looked at his friend and shook his head. "Are you afraid that they will become weak?" he asked and Youkio snorted.

"No. even the littlest one has the same instincts to kill. I can't bring myself to treat them the way we grew up. My father was a chief, yours was a general, neither life was very appealing after being the son of those who were so cruel…. No. for me there is no need, I never want to see my father again, none of my children have seen him, but I want them to want to see me throughout their lives. I don't want to be alone like my father is. My Mother has even left him to his village…. He can have it." Youkio shrugged and beckoned his youngest son over.

The red haired male that had lead Sesshomaru to the island, went to his father and hugged him tightly. " Father, I will become strong enough to protect sister too. I will." he said and Youkio smiled glowing with pride.

"I know you will, son. You make me proud being so strong. Remember though. I could not do it alone, I like you will have to rely on the help of others every once in awhile. Don't be too prideful to ask for it when you need it." he said and the boy looked at him skeptically.

"But i'm strong." he protested and Sesshomaru raised his brow amused.

"We all are, son." he said and put him down to go play with his siblings again. Turning to Sesshomaru, Youkio clapped his hand down on his shoulder and gripped it affectionately. "thank you my friend. This is twice I owe you. Please never hesitate to call me if you get into trouble. I will lay my life down for you and your entire clan" he vowed and Sesshomaru nodded.

"I will call on you, perhaps sooner than you realize." Sesshomaru said. He had felt a sickening feeling in his stomach since escaping the cell. He wanted his armour back, was prepared to buy more when he returned to his home. The armour smith was a frequent visitor and was desperate to repay him for stopping the vandalism at his forge.

Flying home, Sesshomaru felt Jakken beside him on the cloud scheming. It was dark by the time he began to fly over the forest land. He scented fire in the distance and as he approached it was more and more until his concentration faltered from the smoke inhalation and his nimbus wavered making Jakken shout alarmed.

Looking down Sesshomaru recognized the human village and landed feeling anxiety. He came to the clearing and looked out at the people running, and the blaze that consumed everything in reach. Running between the buildings Sesshomaru tried to put out the fires villagers screamed and he began to organize a group of men who were already working.

He hadn't meant to put out all of the fires but each hut he came to next held the scents of fear and he began to act without realizing. He carried child after child from the inferno until every one who was still alive was safe. Looking around he didn't see the boy. He didn't see the Mother either, but the father was standing at the edge of the village and looking into the flames.

Walking up to him Sesshomaru was about to ask where they were when the scent of burning flesh hit his nose. It was the boy. Sesshomaru moved to step into the blazing hut when the chief's hand shot out to stop him. " there is nothing we can do. They're grone." he said numbly. Sesshomaru felt his heart catch in his throat and was helpless when the chief of the village bowed his head to pray and then fell to his knees sobbing. Sesshomaru looked down at the man with near horror and felt the onslaught of grief as if it were his own

" who did this." he said darkly. When the chief hesitated Sesshomaru demanded his answer " who destroyed this village." he shouted outraged.

" it was the ogre clan. They came back after you left." the village chief cried out in rage. His face was smeared with grime, but when he stood his eyes blazed with fire. " they have killed my wife and my child. I will die this night destroying their den. Are you with me?" he asked and Sesshomaru nodded.

The village leader turned to address the remaining villagers, and when he turned back the demon was gone.

Sesshomaru ran like he had fire at his heels, and found the tribe of ogres. They lounged, chuckling over the destruction of the village, when out of nowhere the inu demon charged, spearing the closest ogre in the side and knocking him into the other two. " you will pay for crossing this one….That village was mine." he barked.

Kagome saw the effect on the town immediately after the fires were built. They were happy. Everyone, even those who had been affected by the boars destruction took part in this feast. It did become a feast to remember.

Kohaku was excited and began to direct a group of men and a few eager priestesses through the work of gathering wood and starting the fires, another group began cutting and butchering the meat. Inuyasha wanted to be apart of the butchering process and leant his claws to the job with excitement. Kagome watched him protectively and was not shy to give a few unappreciative looks and comments to a few people that acted annoyed with him.

By the time the sun was high the village and the shrine had gathered and every one was apart of this celebration. The village elders awarded Kohaku and the twins with honors in the village and the feast began. The event was crowded, villagers from three cities over came to enjoy the celebration, and there was plenty of food.

Inuyasha had never been apart of a human celebration before, and was excited to feel the crowd of bodies and see so many unfamiliar faces around him. He ate happily and when the sun began to set watched the fireworks from a distance, the villagers brought out the dazzling explosions and captivated Inuyasha's heart. Seeing him standing by himself Kohaku went to the boy and held his hand out to him. " do you want to see them from up here." he said and Inuyasha looked at him confused until the man bent down and lifted him onto his shoulders. Inuyasha laughed excitedly and held on when he began to walk around. " Mother. Look." he shouted and raised his small finger pointing at the sky. He looked back at his Mother and she was looking into the distance.

She started when he called out to her, and looked up smiling, which appeased him enough to not comment on her mood. He knew she was thinking about his brother. It had been a long time since they were apart for so long, and he knew that she was worn out from the day.

Kagome tried to stay in a good mood though the crowd was starting to get to her. The brushing bodies and the loud volume of noise was making her nervous. She stood behind Kohaku and watched as he and Kikyou held hands watching the fireworks together with Inuyasha on his shoulders. She was glad that he was having such a good time, I had been a while since she had been apart of a celebration like this and even she smiled when the fireworks brightened the sky in flashes of light. Even so, her mind was drawn back to her quiet home in the mountains and her demon that was much to far away at the moment.

Kikyou was at home, she had never felt this comfortable in her life, the days she had spent there were few and yet she felt as if she could stay for the rest of her life. The shrine had changed, or she had changed since living there as a teen, and she was wracking her brain about how she was going to tell Kagome that she didn't want to go home. She squeezed Kohaku's hand and he glanced at her with smouldering eyes. Leaning to kiss him here would be too open of a show of affection for Kikyou, but Kohaku read her mind and leaned to kiss her gently and felt Inuyasha cover his eyes when his weight shifted.

"Mother." he called not wanting to be in the middle of their show of affection. When Kagome reached for him he almost jumped into her arms and snuggled into her trying to lighten her mood. She smiled knowing that he was trying to comfort her and tried to let go of her anxiety, for him. Inuyasha saw her eyes track across the crowd and though he was eager to explore the crowd of people he knew that his Mother wanted to get away from them. He feigned a yawn and asked if they could go home.

" Inuyasha you're having a good time, are you sure you want to leave?" she asked and he nodded

" I am sure," he said. Kagome looked at her sister and Kohaku and didn't want to ruin their evening telling them she was going back to the shrine early.

Turning, Kagome took one last look around at the smiling villagers and wished that she could feel at home with them. Taking a breath, Kagome carried Inuyasha to the path up to the shrine and they scaled the long staircase to the middle and stopped to look back at the fireworks that lit the sky.

Inuyasha's ears twitched and he glanced into the air. There was a thickness to the air that made Inuyasha nearly cough with the sheer dominance of the scent. It was coming straight toward them and he could not scent his brother anywhere "Mother we need to run." Inuyasha whined "there is a demon coming…. A big demon." he said


	31. to get her back

Sesshomaru flew into the midst of the group of ogres and smelled the blood on their hands. The village, the people, everything there reeked of these ogres and he was going to destroy them.

"That was my village." he growled hackles raised. Sesshomaru grabbed the ogre he had speared and summoned his poisoned whip and snapped it cracking the silence of the forest like thunder and wrapping around his throat.

Sesshomaru lost control, he slaughtered the demons and before he realized that his anger had taken over, he was standing in the middle of the pile of bodies panting and looking around at the carnage that he hadn't laid waste to in years and immediately felt the rage turn to dread.

"Kagome please forgive this one for losing control," he said to himself and looked down at his bloody claws. He felt the rage in him still that the child was lost, he woman, the entire village now in ruins and it was his fault for the interference.

If he had kept flying, he would not feel this pain.

The loss of the child's life was meaningless, there was no need for him to die, he was not even strong enough to defend himself, he was innocent of the cruelty of war, and the scent of his burn in flesh was imbedded into Sesshomaru's mind forever.

"Kagome needs me now", he said to himself and heard Jakken running toward him "Jakken let's go," he said and transformed to race across the sky

beginning to panic Kagome leapt forward and hastened up the stairs. She held Inuyasha to her chest tightly as she saw the shadow darken the space around her, she chanted trying to maintain a barrier around herself and Inuyasha. She felt the scraping of his energy against hers and was determined to hide.

She heard the voice in her head and almost lost concentration, he was calling to her wanting to draw her away into his grasp " You're finally away from that dog, i will show you the power of a true ancient. Come to me." his voice beckoned her and she chanted louder as the sight of the great condor came into view in a whirlwind of tearing blasts.

Inuyasha saw the deadly intent when the beast saw him and screamed in fear wanting away from his piercing gaze. Kagome stopped and crouched chanting and creating a bubble filled with her spiritual magic that protected and shielded then from his sight

" I'm afraid." Inuyasha said with his ears flat against his head. Kagome held her concentration as he giant talking raked their feeble protection.

"Hold on to me."she urged him and gathered power to her hands. Glowing fire appeared around her and Inuyasha gripped her waist as they broke the barrier, Kagome dared the demon. "Leave me alone." she cried and he dove at them again, grabbing at Kagome and was consumed in pink fire at her touch.

The demons eyes squeezed shut through the pain that seared him, like hot lightning. every inch of his body was frozen in her power. He felt her progress, she had grown much since he had last attempted her capture, but he had too. Willing his power to dominate hers he pressed against the barrier of fire and was unable to force her back when he felt her falter

Kagome felt pain like hot knives through her and dropped to her knees unable to stand. She grasped Inuyasha to her like a lifeline and tried to protect him when the demon stepped onto the land and sauntered over to her elegantly. "what has happened Kagome? Lost the power to fight?...you were doing so well." he mocked her.

"Leave us alone."Inuyasha growled and the bird demon turned nearly black eyes on him.

"An heir, how fortunate for me." he said smirking as Kagome trembled with the pain she was feeling. Inuyasha was confused and alarmed, wanting to know what happened to make her feel so much pain.

"Sesshomaru...what happened."she said beginning to cry, her strength was gone, she could not even move to get away when the condor transformed back to his animal form and gripped them in his giant talons. Inuyasha scratched at the ankles and talons of the condor with no visible effect on the demon.

"Where is he taking us?"he tried to ask her but Kagome was nearly unconscious unable to even nod.

Kagome held on to Inuyasha tightly as they landed and she was thrown to the ground. She landed with a hard thump and did not have the strength to sit up. Inuyasha tried to rouse her but she could only look up at the dark brown boots as they stepped into her view and felt the hardened hands that grasped her and pulled her from the ground.

She was not carried, she was dragged through the hallways and yarded off her feet when she fell behind. She saw no people around the manor, she saw no staff or slaves, only the empty manor that sealed him away from the world. She was consumed in grief, she wanted Sesshomaru to be with her, to ease some of the pain and tell her what happened to make him lose control. He never lost control like that any more.

Inuyasha clung to her and when she was dragged off of her feet rushed to her to help her stand. Kagome cried out from the agony she felt and stumbled when he jerked her forward by the arm. Inuyasha growled when he saw pain flash across her face. He felt rage at her mistreatment and dared the demon to lay his hands on her again with a warning growl.

Inuyasha felt his hands trembling, he looked up into the icy stare of the great bird demon and felt the hatred as an assault on his senses. This was different than the resentment he was used to from his brother, this was pure hatred that pierced him to his soul.

There was nothing he could do when the demons boot flew to his stomach and sent him into the wall. Getting up off of the ground he watched the demon drag his mother to another hallway. "You will not touch her." he growled He made a bold move and lunged at the demon sinking his claws into his legs and making the demon step backwards from the force of his hit.

The demon began to laugh then and Inuyasha was grabbed tightly by the scruff and hauled down the next hallway with his mother being dragged roughly.

"How amusing, the half breed has stones enough to challenge me. Woman do you wish to see your child live?" he sneered coldly. Kagome began to struggle wanting to take Inuyasha back from him. He effectively stopped her. He came to a stop in front of the door and smirked. "I have something for you Kagome. I've been dreaming of this day….. oh I know you're upset, but soon you will learn to love this place, and me" he said and opened the door.

The space inside was well furnished with furniture and artwork, it could have belonged to the emperor's wife rather hem a captive. He condor shoved her inside and shut the door behind her. In the corner of his room was a cage that was barely talk enough for her to stand in and too small to stretch her legs if she had to sit down.

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha." she yelled when she could not open the door again. Pain enveloped her entire body, and with Inuyasha being forced further and further away she began to panic. " when I am strong again I will get you back." she glowered and staggered to the edge of the rooms sit against the wall.

"Sesshomaru." Kagome brought her hand to the scarring on her shoulder and caressed the mark trying to find comfort from the agony she was in. She didn't feel the stirring of her demon, he was too far away, but she hoped that wherever he was that he would find out what happened.

Sesshomaru paused when he felt the tingling from the mating bond, he sighed thinking that Kagome was calling for him, but began to worry as he approached the shrine and did not scent either her or Inuyasha. Landing, Sesshomaru began to investigate and found the trail where she and Inuyasha traveled during that day.

He smelled the celebration at the village and scented out Kikyou and haku sitting at the bottom of the stairs watching the fireworks.

"Where is she."he demanded not hiding his irritation or anxiety.

"Kagome?... She was just here an hour ago, did you check her bedroom, it is late." Kikyou started and earned an unamused growl.

"She is not in the shrine, neither is the pup." he growled and began to clench his fists.

Haku stood and bowed to Sesshomaru showing his respect before addressing him. He bowed and waited for the demon to acknowledge him.

He heard the acknowledging grunt and looked up. "Lord Sesshomaru, I have been tracking a demon of incredible power through the flatland, there he been some horrific disasters and death all across the country side. Would she have gone to confront him on her own?"

Sesshomaru felt his breath catch and was instantly enraged. He started sniffing and scented for remnants of the demon but could only scent the spiritual energy that he was accustomed to. He turned and swept up the stairs with Haku and Kikyou following him.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Haku tried again

"Quiet." he said harshly, Sesshomaru turned back to the scent and heard Kikyou dismayed groan.

"What's the big deal, she disappears, she's done it her entire life. She's probably going for a walk with Inuyasha" Kikyou folded her arms and earned a pained look from Haku

Sesshomaru felt his hackles raising on the back of his neck. He stood and turned to Kikyou with a menacing snarl. "She is gone, Kagome does not disappear from me. This is your fault." he accused her snarling and watching the color drain from her face.

"How is this my fault… I don't remember her leaving, she never said anything to either of us, Inuyasha is gone too, they are probably together." she said and Sesshomaru took a step back.

"No...no." he felt his heart sink and looked around for any sign of her. He followed her scent to the stairs she had been there an hour before, an hour! He felt the anger welling in him, for himself for leaving her for so long, for Ren who used Kagome as a tool to get to him, but most of all the rage that consumed him was aimed at the condor who he just knew was responsible for this.

Haku was on guard when he approached Lord Sesshomaru. He was hesitant seeing the raging posture of the demon. His fist were clenched and he was growling with each breath, feverishly searching for any clue to where she had gone. "My lord, let me call my men to help us search. They are roaming nearby, it will only take a few hours to gather them…"

He growled a sharp reply and turned. "Call your men, let them meet me in thin high mountains, tell them to make haste, i will not wait for them. I have to get her back." he said and turned back to the small piece of ripped fabric he had found, it was apart of Kagome's priestess garb, he put the cloth in the chest pocket of his houri, next to the sharpening stone that never left his possession.

He was bitter, the dread of not having her was gnawing at his insides and making each movement and breath of the humans around him like a screeching irritation, he just wanted them to go away.

"Lord Sesshomaru, it's that cat, Ren!" Jakken panted having finally caught up with his master. He leaned on his staff and muttered about not being young any more. Sesshomaru looked at him and nodded.

"Let's find him then, Jakken let's go." he commanded and began to stride away.

"Lord Sesshomaru? What neko demon…. Ren? Would he be a black haired neko, a renowned thief and chaos bringer?" Haku asked stopping Sesshomaru in his tracks with the question.

"What do you know about him?" he turned and looked into Haku's eyes searching for any sign of dishonesty.

"I know where he lives. I have hunted and received bounties for his live capture… unfortunately he is usually not the one that causes the most damage, he guides it into the opportunity to cause the most amount of damage possible. If you dealing with him, you're in trouble." Haku was bold even when the darkness reached Sesshomaru's eyes and he strode to him to take him by the front of the hoari.

"They will pay for even daring to touch Kagome. Do not pretend to know my limitations, I will be the one to cause the most damage, you will see this soon enough." he said and thrust Haku to the ground. "Jakken, let's go…. Haku call your demon hunters, i will use them." he said and took to the sky with Jakken clinging to him.

"We will slaughter the cat demon!" Jakken laughed and Sesshomaru changed his focus from the burning of Kagome's spiritual energy to the scent of neko demon.

Across the country in the lair of the condor demon Kagome looked through the bars of a human sized bird cage, the pain had begun to subside but for Kagome she felt as though she was in the pit of misery. The elegant too. Around her had been lost once he returned and tried to lay his hands on her.

She burned him and was thrown Into the cage harshly with the lock clicking as he closed the door. That has been hours ago. Since he had stationed himself in the room and watched her with interest. His smug eyes barely left her and she tried hard to block him out.

"Where is Inuyasha." she snapped looking up from the crouched position the cage allowed her. She really couldn't stretch her legs, unless she stood up. she had her arms folded around her knees, glaring at the demon male who sat across the room from her and smirked as he stretched out in a throne-like chair. He was almost statuesque, being as still as a predator until she shifted, and then he shifted.

"Wrong. You are to address me as my Lord or Lord Satori. How on earth did an ill mannered little priestess worm your way into Sesshomaru's bed?" he sat forward and his strange eyes lingered, making her clench her teeth and tighten the hold she had on her knees.

"Where is Inuyasha." she repeated. Kagome was afraid, it had been several hours and all that she knew was that she was caged and being watched by this creepy, demon. She hated the smug look and the invasive questions. She had no intention of answering any of them

"Will I have to punish you? How dare a common human dare to address me."Satori stood and shook his head. Looking down at her, he saw a beautiful woman, he was not blind, but she was just a human, and she was beginning to aggravate him with the blatant disregard for respect and her ungraceful motions and posture.

"I dare you."Kagome yelled and smirked when he stood out of his chair and crossed the room. Kagome gripped him through the bars and held him with her power.

Satori felt the currents of her magic through him as a feverish attempt at escape "I want to see my son." she yelled at his face. Satori looked at her desperate and determined glare and saw her hesitance to kill him. Seeing that her heart wasn't in it, he tried to undermine the confidence in her voice.

"Release me or the half breed will die in the servants slums." he warned her. Kagome let go horrified.

"You made him your servant? He's just a little boy. What do you be even want from me." she said angrily.

" I want to know how you can overlook everything what Sesshomaru is to be with him. You are literally mated to the only creature on this planet that could challenge my claim. I know him, he is a heartless bastard that is almost as bloodthirsty as I am, and yet you…. A human, a weak ill mannered wretch, has gotten him to renounce his tribe and turn his back in everything…. How did you do it."

"I won't tell you anything…. I want to see Inuyasha. Please, he's not used to being around demons. I don't want him hurt." she said meaning it and trying to appeal to him emotionally.

"Stubbornness will get you nowhere with me. You see I am unopposed in the demon ranks, that means I can do anything I want to." he said and went to the door. "kiba, guard her I have things to see to still." he said and a large falcon demon stepped through the door and closed it firmly behind him when Satori stepped through.

Satori went to the slaves quarters and found the heap of white hair that marked the half breed dog. Striding to him he could see the abuse from the other demons, he had been beaten and was bleeding from his lip when the boy looked up at him. "Get up mutt." he snapped.

Amber eyes challenged him and without a second of hesitance Satori's boot collided with the boys sternum and he heard a pained breath. "Weak pathetic creature. Your father imprisoned me, now you will pay for that time he stole from me. Come with me, now." he said harshly and hauled him off of the ground. Carrying Inuyasha by a handful of hair he dragged the squirming whelp to the hall and strode to the door of his study.

Opening the door, he threw the boy into the room and barked an order to the guard to grab him. "Do you see this. Your precious mother is my prisoner. If you disobey me, I will kill her. There is nothing you can do to stop me." Inuyasha struggled to get out of the guards grasp, he held him around the middle and gripped his chin making him look into the cage.

"He's hurt! You bastard!" Kagome shouted. outraged Inuyasha was struggling and locking eyes she knew that he believed the demon lord's threat.

"Shut, your mouth," Satori slammed his fist against the cage and Kagome stepped back from the hit

"Mother i'm okay! Really i just want you to be safe." Inuyasha was at the edge of tears, he smelled the hatred and malice from the demon lord and bloodlust was a thin veil that saturated everything in the palace.

" Inuyasha, don't believe him, i will be fine. Please take care of yourself! Sesshomaru will come for us." she said glaring at the demon who dared threaten her.

Five days passed.

Kagome stared at the smug face of the condor demon lord for days without another hint of Inuyasha. He stayed in the room she was kept doing a great deal of work here though it was not his usual place.

The palace was not empty as she had initially thought, there were several staff members and hundreds of slaves that hid themselves meticulously into background. Worse was the highborn demons that paraded in and out of the palace with elegant garb and elaborate pets, they admired her as Satori's prize and she made her disdain for them known.

He stopped showing her to his guests.

She saw the daily routine of servants problems as they brought to him, he disgusted her, dolling out punishment as if it were his favorite game and then turning to her and looking at her with almost curiosity before going to the cage and unlocking the door to let her out to entertain him.

He was instructing her in proper etiquette and when she messed up, or refused to play into his games he would hurt her. She deflected most of the attacks but was unable to stop them all. Kagome watched the headless body of an enslaved wolf demon being dragged away and then his dark eyes turned to her. " you see what happens when you disobey me, Kagome."

"You have yet to kill me." she barked. Kagome was wearing down but she wouldn't let the fire be stamped out of her. The horrors she was witnessing daily, the verbal and physical abuse and wondering what was happening to her only child was draining her energy and still she refused to be subdued.

"Yes, that is true, you are a powerful priestess, how interesting that must be it to bed someone who could nearly sap the energy from his entire being and banish one to the underworld. Do you ever think about killing him?" he asked thoughtfully. He walked across the room and looked out of the small window. Staring out across the sky, Satori knew that the demon would never find him, he was hidden, well, and the likes of an untrained pup would never enter his gardens. He heard the sharp intake of breath at his question and turned to see her shaking her head at him and clenching her fists.

"If you let me out of here i will show you how Sesshomaru and i joined in company." she growled mimicking her husband and making the condor demon's smile.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

Kagome took a breath and nodded. " yes." she said and he snorted sensing the power that was just beneath her fingertips. She made and entertaining prisoner. She was defiant, resistant to the discipline he dealt, and was completely untrained in any domestic chores. He was delighted to correct this error, and would question her constantly on how she could be around the son of such a highborn demon with not so much as manners to stand on. He truly wanted to know what made her so appealing. What did he see in her.

She only stared at him with the same angry stare and refused to answer him. He saw a raging ocean when he looked into her eyes. It was clear that she wanted to leave, but couldn't she see she was being kept by a much more powerful demon, much richer with more lands, he wondered and meant to make her his, if only she would look at him like she looked at that dog.

He thought back to the soft smile that had warmed her face when he had looked upon her in the inu city. She had been unafraid. She was not afraid now, but for his enemy she was gentle, trusting, and wanted him close. It must be the cruelty he commanded, he thought.

Through his eyes, Satori saw the Sesshomaru's aura like night. He was cold, nearly consuming the area with his want to be left alone, and yet when she stepped toward him she was let into his space to pull him to the cage prison.

She was allowed to touch him, to make him step forward without consent and was not only let to live, but was guarded against him when he tried to take a closer look. That look was of pure hatred and had wet his appetite for revenge. That dog was just like his rival, the heir of his enemy was worth of his vengeance, she stared at him wig raging ice-fire and he felt his heart flutter in anticipation for his duel.

"I don't believe you, but i would like some tea, and If you spill even one drop this time, i will gut that little half breed twerp myself. A tea ceremony is a sacred time, honor it." he said and Kagome bit her lip. She felt her hands shake and when she heard the lock click and tried to resist the urge to lunge toward the door. He stepped back and Kagome calmly walked through the door of the confining cage and could not resist stretching her limbs like she was unable to do inside.

Satori frowned at her unladylike gestures and slapped her on the back of the head, making her stumble forward.

"Stand up straight woman!" he remarked and gestured to the kettle and small cups that sat on a small shelf. Satori went to the cushion that sat beside the window and cleared his throat expectantly.

Satori watched the line of her eye and smirked knowing that he had her over a barrel. She would do as he wanted as long as he had the boy under his thumb. That was proving to be difficult. But he would be found soon enough and punished for the trouble. Damn dogs, he thought

Inuyasha panted, he hid himself in the space between the cupboard and the wall watching as the demon he had just attacked looked for him, pacing back and forth and threatening him with each breath. He quieted his breathing and stilled himself. After a few minuted the demon went to another room and Inuyasha crawled out of the hiding place. His claws were bloody, some of it was his own. Standing, Inuyasha looked around the room and was not sure where he was.

Stalking down the hall, he tried to avoid the eyes of the demon slaves. they hated him. At first he wasn't sure if it was because of his situation, but being captured and made a slave was common. what made them hate him so much was the fact that he was half human, they said he reeked of human, that he didn't belong there, that his mother should have killed him when he was born as was custom. He tried to defend himself and his mother, but it only brought the ire of the demons around him.

Worst, were the ones that knew that he was the kin of the demon warlord Sesshomaru. Some of them, he learned had been a victim of his father and brother long before he had ever been born. The rage, and spite was almost as black as the stark fear that overcame him when he realized his human night was coming and there was nowhere to hide.

Inuyasha was used to the fear of his human nights. Living along side his brother he hid himself, often running into the forest and sleeping close to the village to disguise his scent but, his brother never cared to look for him if he disappeared, it was a mercy that had kept his secret hidden. Before that, he would stay with Kikyou and shippo pretending to help them with a potion that literally made him want to vomit, until the sun was down and his senses dulled.

The slaves quarters were clean, spotless with very specific places that each slave inhabited. He had no place, they made sure of that and even walking into the territory of another slave would get you beaten. No one was there at the moment and Inuyasha took a breath and sat against the wall. He would be beaten if they caught him hiding there. They reminded him again and again that he was supposed to be waiting on the guests of the court.

"I don't want to do this. Where is Sesshomaru?" he wondered aloud.

"Damn it! I want to see her now!" Sesshomaru roared. He was looking up at the faces of several ancient demons that barred his audience with the demon lord he wanted to throttle. How had he gone from the solitude of the forest to the demon courts? He wondered. Thinking back on it, it was all Rens fault.

When Sesshomaru caught the cat demon, he was staying at an inn in a large human village. The cat demon acted as though he was surprised to be caught but the death grip of the inuyoukai reminded him of the incident.

"You got mawata? You got her? Shes home?" he wondered aloud. " You know, i thought you were a real prick, thanks for proving me wrong." he laughed trying to lighten the mood. Sesshomaru threw him through the wall and pounced, wrenching his arm back to punch him in the face again and again. Ren tried to bring his arms up to block his face, but Sesshomaru tightened the grip on the back of Ren's head and brought his elbow down hard. He heard the crunching of bones.

Humans were running from the scene crying out in fear and trying to flee the wrath of this demon lord.

"You tell me where she is. Tell me where she is now or you will never ever forget what it's like to take from me." he growled with his nose an inch from rens bleeding nose. The bones were broken and he was bleeding from several places.

"I don't think i ever will" he coughed.

"Tell me now." he growled and gripped his throat squeezing.

"Lord Satori wanted her, he paid me a great sum for her locations. He said that if i told him she wouldn't be hurt, he just wanted to talk." Ren said strangled.

"That is not your choice, she is mine!" he roared and nearly beat the cat demon to death. " tell me where she is."

"Lord Satori is a difficult person to get ahold of, there is only one way… the demon council has to grant you an audience. He is of great importance, and power you see. He has even surpassed the great general in wealth and influence by far."

"I don't care who he is, i want Kagome back." he growled and hauled the cat demon off of the ground when he stood.

"Who are you?" an elder fox demon looked down at him from behind their joined pulpits. He was forced to look up when he addressed them, he was nearly shaking with rage and the six demons looked at him as though he were joking. " you want to discuss the transfer of a human slave?" she asked looking at him dubiously.

"I am Sesshomaru, i want my human returned to me. So help me if you delay any further i will bring this place down around you." he shouted letting his composure slip. His hands were shaking and he could feel their amusement and fought for control. Ren was behind him cowering from the elder demons.

"Sesshomaru, you are obviously in the tribe of the white inu, which is in ruins and has little sway with us, to be fair, you bear the markings of the inu general that helped us get into power, but from what we've heard he's dead, and it's the fault of his hot head son…. What was his name?" the elder fox looked to her left to a great wolverine demon.

"I believe it was Sesshomaru, Hitomi." he gestured to the inuyoukai.

Sesshomaru kept his glare intact, feeling the rage that these demons would bring this up, but he wasn't really surprised. Anything done among his peers was sure to be brought up as ammunition against his status. He would show them how much he didn't care." as the surviving heir to the generals titles and status i have every right to be here. My father did not blame me for his death, he died in war, as many of us do. I have been violated by Satori, and i demand that he face me." he said initiating a challenge.

The wolverine shook his head and smirked, "There is no chance that he will accept. You see he is simply stronger than you, he is of higher status and with no other reason then those first two facts, he doesn't listen to us." he said waving away Sesshomaru as if he expected him to roll over and take their response.

Sesshomaru looked around at the fox, wolverine, hawk, bear, wolf, boar, and finally to the dog that sat at the end of the table looking at him with an intense curiosity and some resentment. " you are afraid then? I should have known that a group of old beasts would stand for themselves. With all your tribes and power you cannot grant me one meeting? Tell me where he is then!" he said making sure to ruffle each of their feathers until the elder demons looked at him with disdain.

"You have no tact boy!" a wizened old voice came from behind him. Ren yelped when the wizened hand of Totosai came down on his shoulder and moved him out of the way. He came to the council and knelt to bow his respects and then looked up at his peers. " Hitomi, Jin, so nice to see you my old friends. Please excuse this boy, he seems to have picked up the worst of our old friends charms,"

"Old man." Sesshomaru started.

"Hold on this is important Sesshomaru, there is always a right way to do things and you are doing them the wrong way. This is the council of demons, they are the heads of each of the tribes and have the ear of all who are in their fold. You are making an enemy of everyone right now." he remarked making Sesshomaru growl.

"I don't care." he growled and turned back to the council. " i will not play your games of status, keep our lands and your ceremonies! I despise everything you stand for! I only want my human back and to be left alone!" he growled and each of the demons looked at him as though he had grown two heads.

"You see he is not quite the demon lord his father was, though he is an accomplished warlord...He can cause quite a bit of damage and among the common people he is respected going against him may be harder than you think." Totosai said.

"What are you talking about? I want to see this lord Satori, tell me where he is and i will meet him myself. Tell me" he demanded.

"There is no one who knows... Outside of his personal staff and they never leave his mansion. How drear. You will have to start with nothing." the hawk said looking at him with boredom.

Turning from the group Sesshomaru walked out of the meeting hall through the large hall and out onto the stairs of the demon city when he exited the hall the scenery changed around him warping the natural forest scape. He felt the gravel from the road under his feet and looked at the mountain folk.

Their breed was a strange demon tribe possessing great strength and the tusks of boar without the snouts the leader of this tribe looked at his raging posture and readied for battle. A few soldiers came to watch him stride out of the village and take to the air, Ren ran out after him and called to him as he looked around nervously then backed away and started to run from him.

Ren hoped that the irritation of the council meeting had distracted Sesshomaru and he attempted to flee when Sesshomaru's claws reached around his neck and he was yanked onto the cloud and pinned down by his heavy boot.

"What more can i do." he said and Sesshomaru growled.

"You told him where she was, the council won't listen so you will lead me to his lair and i'll take this matter into my own hands." he said.

From behind him Totosai was mounted on his three eyed bull and it galloped through the air coming up beside him. He called to Sesshomaru obnoxiously.

" Leave me alone old man. They won't hear me. I'll go alone." he said.

" Go if you want, but I want to come too. I might be useful."

"I doubt that. I won't wait for you." he snapped and ground his foot into ren's back. " tell me where you meet with Satori.

"I have a signal that i give him and he meets me. I will do this for you, just let me live." he said pleading.

"You will live. I will make sure of it." he threatened and Ren felt a cold shiver through him.

Kagome watched the last of the sun's rays disappear from the sky and laid her head back against the cold bars of the cage. Her legs were cramped but she could not stand any more in that cramped space. She felt the cold seeping into her bones and crueled in on herself tighter. " i have to get away. I have to get to Sesshomaru." she said and tried to muster her strength to reach for him. She felt the demonic energy of hundreds of demons around her, but only one of them was hers.

"Lady, there is no way to escape, he has fortified this lair, but i may be able to get out and get to him." Kagome heard a small voice and her head snapped up, there was no one in the room.

"Where are you." she said and felt a small prick on her shoulder. Slapping her hand down on the stinging spot she heard a muffled groan and almost sobbed when she saw the flea shaking his head and dusting off his cloths.

"I have explored this castle, we are far into the mountains,a nd there is only one way in or out. Virtually you have to be invited in to enter and i cannot reenter once i have gone." he said and Kagome sagged.

"Have you seen Inuyasha. Could you tell him i'm okay and to be brave." she said with her lip trembling.

Myoga looked up at her with some curiosity and bowed. " my lady there is nothing that i would not do for you. You are the kin of my master and i am your servant." he said and Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes

"Please tell him that i will try to get to him, that he should stay where he is and protect himself. Then please find Sesshomaru, i will need his help to escape." she said and myoga nodded.

"I will do this." he answered.

From the place Inuyasha hid, he sented for his Mother, she was close. He made his way to the next room and looked around, hoping not to find the demon lord waiting for him again. This was the hits time he had tried to get to her, but he had never gotten so close before.

As he moved again. He felt a small biting on his side and stopped to itch quietly before taking another step.

"Master Inuyasha, your lady kagome gave me a message for you. She said to stay where you were that she would come for you and that she wants you to protect yourself." myoga reported.

" I'm almost to her, I'll get to her." he said trying to draw in the strength he possessed. She was close, he could smell her,and the days spent in misery had made him want to escape even more. He wanted to go home, to have his mother and their simple life.

"Please master Inuyasha, here is no time. You are far too weak to even break into the cage that holds her. What will you accomplish by drawing attention to yourself?" myoga tried to shake the boy from his goal but like his brother, the boy stubbornly charged forward.

" Shut up! I will get her back no matter what." he growled

 **AN: thank you for reading and reviewing i hope that you are enjoying my story there is still more to come! Update again soon!**

 **-Inuyoukaidreamer, out.**


	32. when he gets here

This day will be your last.

The day started with a banging on her cage, Kagome looked up startled and she glare at the elegantly dressed demon who had been keeping her captive. He sauntered over to a tray that was sitting on the edge of a finely furnished table and picked up a pair of chopsticks

"Awake Kagome? I've been watching you sleep. You say his name often, I wish you would say mine." he said softly.

"I will say your name when my husband tears your heart from your body and stomps your skull into the ground." she seethed and refused the food that he brought to her. He held the chopsticks out for her to take a bit of rice that he held for her.

"Such lovely imagery, did you come up with that or did you witness him do this before he took you for himself?" he asked and Kagome only met his question with the same cold stare.

"I'm sure you have witnessed his terrible anger, he was a legend, you know. He even made his enemy tremble from the mention of his ire." he baited her.

"I know the man that I love, do not pretend to know anything about him." she shoved the food away and turned her back on him in blatant challenge.

"You dare challenge me? Is your ignorance so great that you would turn your back to death?" he said with his piercing voice.

"Kill me then." she said and he raised his fist like he would try. He took a breath and shook his head.

"No, I would have nothing else to draw him here if you were dead. I had hoped you would see that I am the more superior male, I could please you in ways he could not-"

"I doubt that."she remarked and he smirked.

"You can still find out. I have more lands, more demons fear me and I do not adhere to the laws of the council. There has never been a demon like me

"You're wrong. Sesshomaru is even greater then you are and he will crush you. When he gets here." she said

"You think so?" he asked "What would give you that idea. You have been gone a week, he surely has given up on you. You don't even have a true heir, what does his mating truly mean if he doesn't adhere to basic tradition in honoring you. Are you only a toy to be played with?" he asked seeing the anger in her.

"You have no idea what he will do when he gets hold of you. You will wish that I purified you a hundred times." she said. There was a seriousness to her eyes that was familiar to Satori.

"I see. You have seen his anger then. I tell you I am ten times more terrifying than he ever dreamed of being." he remarked.

Satori glared at the resentment in her eyes and tried to change the mood. "I have brought you a gift. Your priestess garb offends me. I have brought you a proper kimono. Put it on." he said and went to the lock and opened the cage. He gestured to a brown package on the table and she stood rooted in place.

"I don't want it." she did and Satori went to her and shoved her to the table.

"You will wear this in my presence I have been lenient with you, but my patience is wearing thin." he said with some irritation. He had been watching her. When she was alone she meditated, when he was there she found every opportunity to be obnoxious. He was not as taken with her as he had hoped, she was not taken with him at all.

"I will wear this." she crossed her arms and dared him to do something about it.

Satori went to the window and opened it letting the chill in from the wind. Turning he grabbed a pitcher of wine and poured it down her garbs staining them crimson and making her instantly enraged. "There is no choice now. Change your clothes." he sait back and watched her shake in anger. Kagome started to chant a spell to send lightning like strands through his nervous system when he called out to the door. "Kiba I need the boy confined in the dungeon, it seems there will be a flogging tonight, my treat." he said and Kagome stopped. " on second thought I think i'll cancel." he said and saw Kagome's hands shake when they touched the fine silk of the kimono.

" I hate you." she snarled.

Kiba banged on the door and entered. " master the whelp is causing more trouble, are you sure you wish to delay?" he asked and Kagome turned to Satori with rage daring him.

"Yes. I will put his punishment off, so long as the woman is cooperative." he smirked and Kagome felt a helpless rage boiling inside of her. She lunged at kiba and gripped his arm to send a shock of her energy through him.

Her adrenaline rushed to her head and she felt his arm disintegrate under her touch. Kagome went to the door and tried to touch the other demons when she saw Inuyasha being hauled down through the main meeting room by his shattered arm. Kagome yelled out her rage and began to summon power from every cell in her body.

Energy exploded through the main lobby of his grand palace and demons began to drop out from under the weight of her rage. Kagome dared them, running down the hall to the demon slaver's that was holding Inuyasha from her and reached out to his face and burned him sending him back screaming.

Seeing the stain of red down her haori Inuyasha was nearly farel. He had been close to finding her that night when he had been caught. The demons were merciless tormenting and kicking him until he was reduced to a heap on the ground. He had fought to get out. Fought to be freed from their grasp but in the end there was no where to go.

" its wine!" she said seeing him begin to lose control. She had never seen him this way. His eyes were black with hatred and her sweet boy had been replaced by this growling beast that flexed his claws in anticipation for the kill. " come with me let's go!" she said and grabbed him to her.

Surprising her, Inuyasha wouldn't run. She looked back at the child and his eyes were bloodshot, markings appeared on his cheeks and she heard him roar fiercely before yanking out of her hold to lay waste to the weakened demons around them.

Fear, hatred, they were interchangeable when Inuyasha awakened from his misery. He was weak, too weak to defend himself and so he gave himself over to the pain. With power surging through him like he had never before experienced Inuyasha tore and shredded with his claws. He felt a spike in energy with every kill and after he had laid waste to three grown demon males, he heard his mother trying to call him back.

" we cannot run, we must fight." he growled and Kagome stepped back from the growly voice of her child.

" then we will fight." she said tears in her eyes. Kagome felt the pain in her chest from the fury in her son, she was not going to leave him, had given everything so that she could be his mother. Looking around the hall she still didn't see Satori, she wondered if he was too afraid to come close to her rampage when she heard his unmistakable laugh.

" what a display of power. I count nine dead, several injured and one disobedient priestess and her half dog. What shall I do with you." he said and sauntered toward her. Kagome let the energy she had left come to the surface and saw his cocky smile. "you do not have enough energy left to slay me, your attempt was admirable, but weak in the end"

Inuyasha felt the challenge of the greater demons strength and his claws flexed. Lunging for him Inuyasha sank his fangs into the thigh of the great demon and tore at him with untrained and explosive aggression. Kagome cried out, but the demon lord kicked Inuyasha to the ground before taking him by the broken arm and raising him up to his level. Inuyasha yelped but refused to show the pain on his features.

"you are a nuisance!" he yelled and punched him in the stomach. Inuyasha felt the collision and spit blood onto the ground he was sick, he felt the breath leave him and gasped, panting until he could breath again. The demons dark eyes locked on him and without a second of delay he took Inuyasha with him to the chamber. " come, Kagome there is a gown that I want to see you wear." he smirked.

She looked around the room at the groaning demons and the chaos they had caused and had no other choice but to follow him. She looked at Inuyasha's weak form and felt her insides churn. She needed to get him out of here, before she lost him.

Sesshomaru waited with anticipation for the arrival of the demon condore. Ren had indeed signaled him and assured Sesshomaru that he would show himself within the hour. He was shaking. He had not been so long without her gentle touch and he was starting to become agitated beyond his normal. He wanted her back, and when she was his once more, he would guard her with his dying breath from his enemies. He envisioned her as a prisoner of war and knew first hand how obnoxious she was. " she's going to get herself killed." he said to himself

" he won't kill her" totosai said from his place sitting on his mount.

" you do not know." he said and totosai snorted.

" from what I hear, she's strong. She would have to be to deal with your temper." the old man snorted again and chuckled when Sesshomaru frowned.

" she should not have to be strong." I should have been protecting her, he said the last part in his mind, but those words echoed through him like a surge of pain. He could recall the way that demons were attracted to Kagome. They had always been curious about her unusual manner, but in the end he had protected her from them, until now. She was in the hands of an enemy that had plagued his father, had caused wars and destruction and when he had thought himself rid of him, the creature returned to kidnap the only person who mattered to him.

" I know what you're thinking, that you should have protected her, and that you've put her through enough already being who you are that you can't stand to see her suffer any more." totosai ranted and Sesshomaru turned to him and punched him off of his mount.

" shut your mouth." he hissed and heard the soft winging of a demons flight. A familiar demon landed onto the branch that Ren stood high on and bowed.

"Lord Satori has been occupied with his prisoner." the hawk demon said.

"I understand that, but why on earth are you here Tano? He asked and the hawk groaned.

"Lord Testu has lent lord Satori some of his staff. There was an incident where the priestess got loose and she has injured most of the staff and more than a few diplomats. Lord Testu's son in law Saito was there and was witness to her power…. Frightening." Tano said and Sesshomaru resisted the urge to drag him out of the tree.

"What happened afterward did he kill her?" Ren asked nervously. If she died he would die, that was it.

"...No, there was a half demon child that went on a rampage. He holds sway with the priestess and so upon his capture, the woman was more compliant. If I were lord Satori w would flog her until she was nearly dead and then take her to the pits to be given to the slaves. What does he want with a filthy, illmanored, little priestess anyway, her kind is detestable and any demon that would bed her is worthy only of death." Tano spouted.

" Uh oh." Totosai said and tried to calm Sesshomaru down.

" Filthy? Ill mannered…. Worthy of death? I dare you to doll out the sentence filth." Sesshomaru lumped into the tree and landed with a punch to the demon hawks face. Tano gripped his face and dared Ren to do that again. Turning back he gasped and tried to take flight but was yarded back by an unmatched rage and claws that dug into his throat.

" Lord Sesshomaru? Is that you. I thought the matter over the slave girl was settled." he said trying to get out of the bind he was in.

" You are talking about my mate. Take me to her...now or i'll shred you now and take your remains to your master, destroy him, and then so on until this entire country is in flames." he growled and Ren looked at the black hatred and gaped.

"He knows, he just said his master's son was in Satoris court. Let's go!" Ren said trying to become the advocate now that he witnessed the unmatched hatred inside of this demon.

"Let us leave then." he said and threw the hawk demon over his shoulder and jumped down from the tree. Totosai was looking at him with apprehension but the uncaring state of the demon inu told him how much he cared about what he thought.

"You know your father would have just killed him and gone to the master." he observed.

" I do not have time for that we must leave now." he said and began to race toward the palace of the hawk Testu.

The wind rushed past their ears. The noon was upon them the midday sun a contrast to Sesshomaru's dark mood. He felt the tingling of the bond and willed his cloud faster. He could feel her misery as his own. He was miserable. There was nothing for him aside from her. He did not want anything as he wanted her company. He knew she was everything that he couldn't stand about humanity, but she was his annoyance, his burden, his love, his mate. She was his and now she was taken, not dead but suffering out in the world where he could not reach her. He hated feeling helpless, he hated this. " tell me where he is" Sesshomaru said gripping the arm of Tano where he had broken the twin bones before.

" I cannot tell you I will have to show you." he stuttered and Sesshomaru growled. " im serious there is no way to say the directions, the way is cursed for those who are invited only.

Someone was watching him

Eyes unseen by mortals looked down from the black depths of his expanse, there was so much rage, so much power that he could use. " Sesshomaru would you be mine. You have shown me how you have grown, how vicious that you are, and I want you for myself." he said and waved his hand over the surface of his shallow pool of water.

Roku smirked when he turned to the collection of statues that he possessed. There were warriors through time there, the legacies and destruction rang out through the ages and he wanted just one more. The condor demon was excellent, though his reputation was tarnished. But the dog was awesome in his capability for black hatred, he had been trained to be the perfect machine of war and Roku wanted his legacy in his collection.

"Damn Violet." he grouched and thought of the girl who had been a thorn in his side for eons. She wanted his warriors too, to turn them into vigilantes and kings and people that would cycle through time and bear no significance in the history of man.

He went to the table that held the shallow orb that contained the condor demons soul and admired the blackness of it. He was truly cruel, and his temper was almost unmatched. But this woman was ruining everything.

" I will see him then and straighten this matter out." he said and summoned a portal into the throne room of the demon Satori. He was there brooding with his chin resting on his fist." what are you doing, if you must fight Sesshomaru do it but do not delay." Roku said in a gust of wind.

Satori looked up at his mentor and shook his head. " I really want to fight him. But this woman, is just so interesting. Ive threatened her a thousand times and still she is filled with this determination to resist me. Could you force her to tell me?" he asked looking up and feeling hopeful. This had been going on for long enough, but he wanted to know what he had to do to feel. He saw the happiness between them. What room for happiness did he have when ten years ago he was soaring in rank and among the most deadly in the world. He was hated, as he is hated, feared as he is feared and most of all he is a machine of carnage and Satori knew that this was true.

He is as I am, how did he find happiness. How did she do this. This is her fault. Its her. And I want it too

" I will see her, perhaps there is a way to make her talk." he said and Satori jumped up from his seat and followed him to the chamber across the hall.

He opened the door and was amazed that the room was in disarray. The furniture was in shambles and there was a large cage in the corner that housed a fuming and muttering woman adorned in fine silk. She looked up at him and Roku smiled. " you are Kagome then?" he asked and came close to her.

Seeing the unearthly male Kagome stood back from him and spat in his face when he was close enough. It never hit his face. " return my son and let me out!" she shouted starting to make a ruckus again and making Satori jump forward to intercede for the kami.

" lord Roku, I must apologize for her manors. She has none. She is actually very untrained fro a woman with her influence." he bowed and Kagome gaped at his toadying behavior. This entire time she had never seen Satori bow and this unassuming man was making him scrape as if he were a low servant.

" I can see for myself what she is. Kagome. I am here to see what you are. You have managed to distract my greatest warriors from their destiny and I want you to stop standing in their way. Sesshomaru was doing well before he met you, I had my eyes on him, and then, he was gone from my domain. Do you know what has to happen in order for them to disappear from me?"

" let me guess. They change their mind about following you." she spat and Roku smirked.

" precisely." he said and Satori scoffed.

" one does not simply change his mind, we are raised this way, groomed from the first breath for the duty of hatred and dominance, he is even named such, killing perfection. Are you telling me she changed his mind? That is unheard of." Satori actually laughed. Roku turned to him and he stopped laughing and gaped. " you're serious?" he turned to Kagome and looked at her amused.

" not unheard of, it happened to his father as well, since I have been fighting for the remaining heirs to this epic bloodline, I have been intercepted and thus I sent them to you. When she is killed in front of him, then I will reassume possession of his soul and the others will have nothing left to say about my claim."

" even if you kill me, he will not go back. You think i'm the one that made him change. I did nothing." she said challenging them still. " you do not know who he is, you are only blood thirsty beasts with no concept of love or mercy. If you've been raised to be this way. I feel bad for you. You never knew what it was like to be loved and so you could never understand what bonds Sesshomaru and i. You ask me questions concerning his cruelty and his vengeance, and his power. You know nothing! Let me go, you will never get what you want from me." she said and Roku put up his hand and her voice was silenced.

" what an interesting woman, you were right. But I have seen this same fire in many humans and they all eventually crumble. Let her rot in this cell, they scenery suits her. And I must say that kimono is very pleasing to the eye." he smirked and Kagome growled.

" keep your eyes to yourself." she spat and the gleam in her eyes made the dark kami reach through the bars to grip her front and pull her through the bars in front of him.

" I will see you suffer child. The challenge you have posed will not be taken lightly, let's see if he turns back to me, in the meantime, you will remain here," he said gruffly and thrust her back into the cage. Kagome gasped and touched the place that the bars passed through her.

"Where is the child, he has peaked my interest." he asked as Satori led him out of the room.

" no!" Kagome screamed after them. " no!" she felt misery like a crushing force and fell against the bars. She used the dwindling strength she had to find him. He was injured again and she tried to wrap the warm tendrils of power around him to heal and comfort him. He felt her touch him and she could almost feel his relief.

Inuyasha breathed raggedly the demons had not been kind at his attack and he was hiding himself as he felt his mother's glowing aura. Taking a breath he calmed himself and felt the release of some of the pain that he was now living in. it had been several days of torture before the explosion and now he was counting the hours wondering when he would have to fight again.

Getting up he heard the sound of footsteps and held his breath. The demon was with someone and they were walking toward the slaves quarters. He crouched tighter and when they turned out of sight he ran in the opposite direction.

His feet padded down the walkway and he reached the end of the servants halls. Pushing the door opened he entered a guest chamber and krept to the door and slid it back looking out into the empty hall. He was quiet as he walked, his breaths were hushed and when he turned he nearly smacked into the legs of a large wolf demon.

" what do we have here?" he said looking down and smiling at the white haired slave. He saw the inu ears and reached to tweak one in his grasp.

" I have to go." Inuyasha said trying to dart between the demons legs.

" no you don't. I saw what you did earlier, you look like you've been punished, but to run away after that is just pure stupidity." he said and Inuyasha glared. " how cute." he said and brought a hand down to pat his head. " my mate would love you, she was telling me that she wanted another slave, do you clean?" he asked and Inuyasha nearly bolted before his arm was grabbed and he was hauled into a room alone with this grey wolf male. Inuyasha looked around for an escape and the male grabbed him harshly and covered his mouth when he tried to scream.

" I don't want to go with you. Let me go." he said muffled and tried to bite the demon.

" geez kid! I'm trying to help you. Your brother is an ally of mine and I have been fortunate enough to be apart of the demon court here. That incident yesterday was epic, I haven't seen a temper tantrum that bad since your brother was your age." hasid and Inuyasha stilled. " see kid, Sesshomaru and I go way back, though I wouldn't expect him to care much about me." he said

" you do know my brother!" he said and was quiet. " are you going to get us out of here?" he asked and the demon shook his head.

" I can't do that, my code of honor says that I can never turn from the master I have sworn to." he shook his head

Inuyasha looked at him as though he had been wounded. " you aren't going to help us then?" he asked and the wolf smiled.

" I didn't say that. I said I couldn't let you out. But I can help you from within and most of all get Sesshomaru here to end this madness." he answered the boys question and pointed to a place in front of the fireplace. " get some rest kid, you look like you've been through the mill." he said and Inuyasha sagged and went to the pillow.

" who are you?" Inuyasha asked.

" I am a friend, that's all you need to know. For now." the wolf demon said and sat up to guard the door. Looking at the child's exhausted posture he was reminded of his old master. The eyes were the same and his hair was the same hue. They were son and father, somehow the child had been lost to them, but now any more. " Inuyasha, spirit of the dog. What do the kami have in store for you?" he wondered aloud.

Sesshomaru landed on the mountain that the hawk had flown too. The winds were tearing through the trees like knives and pierced even his skin with the cold. He felt the aura of a demon there, it was bigger than most and turning to the other demons in his company he saw something in the distance.

" Sesshomaru!" he heard a voice calling him from a long way away. " ive tracked you for four days. I got word from Ren that Kagome was missing! How come you didn't come and find me?" he shouted as he neared. Sesshomaru tried to see what he was flying on when the vehicle poofed and a racoon demon jumped out of the air with him. Youkio shouted as he landed and then brushed the snow off of his armour. " ren? Is this your fault?" shooked to his brother and Ren looked away sheepishly. " I thought I told you-"

"Water under the brigde cat, i'm helping now." Ren shrugged and Youkio's hackles raised

Sesshomaru could see the brawl coming and intervene before it escalated. " Youkio, you have arrived, there are others coming from the foot hills. The demon hunters have laid several traps and they are blocking off the passes into this mountain. There is only one way in or out now and he would guard it. "

" the next meeting was scheduled for tonight. There will be a dinner for the negotiation of the loyalty of the wolf clans. They are at the cusp of a major alliance." Tano said with pressure on his throat from the dog's tight grip. He had given up trying to escape and was resigned to die at the first opportunity.

" I do not care what is going on." he said and was done talking with this demon. Totosai and Youkio greeted each other as friends. Sesshomaru wondered at that but was unsurprised since the demon was ancient.

" you are friends with lord Sesshomaru? How has this happened since he hates me?" totosai said wondering at the familiar way that he spoke to the stoic demon.

" we kind of met up one day and get along pretty well. You should have seen him when my little Mikala went up to him, she hasn't stopped talking about him, and handed him a small rice ball she made. She just raves about him all the time." he said making totosai gasp in shock and turn to Sesshomaru with disbelief.

Sesshomaru ignored him.

" are you serious?" he asked Youkio. Ren went over to his brother to listen and acted as though he were just as surprised.

" Mikala likes him?" Ren asked surprised.

" not only that but Haru said that he was impressive and reena has been making a fool of herself for days. But that's not the most surprising think. Its Kagome. You see I really like her. I really like her and Sesshomaru together. You see him now, he's awful, but get him around Kagome and you will understand what i'm talking about." Youkio raved drawing the attention of Sesshomaru's underlings.

" he's right, she makes a difference in his mood for sure… forgive me lord Sesshomaru." jakken laughed nervously.

Sesshomaru turned and looked at Youkio. " your old friend Tano has lead us here make sure he does not escape while I am away." he said and yukio's eyes were drawn to the birs and he smirked.

" you got it…. Hey you want to hear about the time in the inu city?" he asked the other demons and Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he walked away from the group.

He missed her. He wanted to hold her even then but the unknowing was most painful and he wanted to be done with this. He couldn't help but wonder if it was his fault that she had been captured, that his loss of control had weakened her enough that she was accessable. She was strong, he knew that first hand, but the curse made her almost immobile and he hated himself for the pain that she had to bear alone.

I should have been with you.

Looking at the surroundings he looked for the hints of a road, or a passage that lead into another place. A demonic apparition that concealed a palace right before their eyes. He could not smell any demons around him, none. There was nothing there.

Strange, he thought. This is the lair of a powerful demon and yet there are no underlings or soldiers, and I cannot sense him anywhere.

Sesshomaru went back to the place where he could still see his group and scented demons around him, from at least a week before arriving there, but when he stepped back toward the rocky clearing there was nothing, not even his group. The old man came forward when he observed Sesshomaru's investigation. He looked around and did the opposite of what Sesshomaru expected.

Totosai looked around at the snowy scape and frowned. He was cold. Taking a huge breath he blasted a path through the snow to dry ground and stepped down from his steer.

" old man I was investigating-"

" look here boy tracks from a kart!" totosai said pointing at the ground and making another swath. " it disappears here." he said and was looking curiously at the small pillar that stood as a stopping point on the path, behind it was only the shallow cave that was only about a arm's length in depth, not even enough keep dry from the snow.

" perhaps it is the entrance." Ren came behind him with Youkio watching his back.

" now that you have come, there is no way in and there are hundreds of demons inside his palace, you are outnumbered and as soon as one of the courtiers exits the palace they will start an attack to wipe you off the map." Tano said almost giddily. He waited for a response and got none.

" we will wait here." Sesshomaru said and he took a seat to wait.

" you didn't hear me. I said there were hundreds of demon inside the palace you cannot win. And master Testu told me that your damned sword won't cut him. How can you defeat an army with nothing but your claws."

" watch me." he said and Ren stepped back.

" your really scary. Youkio are you sure he is…."

" shut your mouth, we have to have some faith. Hes incredibly strong. He beat that kami that has you under her thumb." Youkio pointed out.

" ha, more like I have her under my thumb. I have that little twerp so wound up she'll never replace what I stole from her. Its absolutely perfect and she doesn't even realize yet." he said and held out an ivory brush. Sesshomaru looked at the brush and then eyes the demon cat.

" will you brag about the trouble you caused after I have already had enough of you." Sesshomaru stood and went to the cat demon and grabbed him by the collar.

Seeing this opportunity Tano began to creep to the edge of the group. He nearly escaped when out of nowhere yukio's hand caught him and he turned to confront him. Tano scuffled with Youkio for a while before Sesshomaru's large palm gripped his raised fist and he wrenched his arm out of place. He yelled out his pain and Sesshomaru grabbed him by the throat.

" you will stay here until I have done what I have to." he said and Sesshomaru threw him back into the middle of the group.

" you know I have some metal, we could fashion a chain, if you wanted to keep him more effectively." totosai said not caring much about the sniveling hawk underling.

" he will stay where he is. I will not allow him to escape me, even if he runs, there is no where I cannot get to and I have already destroyed your master's palace. Try my patience further." he looked down his nose at the hawk demon and he actually cowered from the threat.

" that's my Sesshomaru." Youkio chuckled " good heart though."

Inside the palace Inuyasha scurried from the servants hall to the chamber that held his only ally. The wolf had proven himself to be trustworthy to Inuyasha who watched him like a hawk for any sign of dishonesty. So far he hadn't lied, or was really good at it, Inuyasha didn't really want to think about that. For a few precious hours he had been able to rest. And with the night if the new moon upon him he was going to have to figure something out. He pushed the door open and saw the emptiness, there was a big party that he was supposed to be helping with but since he had disappeared a day ago no one had been able to find him.

He paused and took in the scent of the hallway to see if any of the other demons were there but like this one their rooms were empty. He went to the window and looked out at the setting sun, there would be no protection for him if the wolf was untrustworthy, he had noone and nowhere else to go and he thanked whatever kami had sent this wolf to him as help. He crouched down and hid himself then, the sun was nearly gone and dread ate at Inuyasha as a parasite. He was anxious and trembling when his strength left him.

Closing his eyes he tried to shut away the dark of the room. He hated the dark when he was human. Everything unknown and just out of reach, like taking a step and expecting to find a stair and stepping on nothing. He wrapped his arms around himself and hoped that there was nothing that brought the demons back to the living quarters.

" quiet Inuyasha, just sit here and let the sun come up." he said to himself and tried to relax.

Kagome looked to the window and felt the dread of her child's vulnerability. Looking down at herself she frowned. " why do I have to like this color. I hate dressing up. I hate serving tea and sitting like a statue, I hate being here in this stuffy palace. I want to go home. I want to see Inuyasha! She said to nothing at all. She was alone. She had been invited to join lord Satori and she had told him to go to hell. He had left then.

" dumb bird" she griped.

" thats harsh." he said a standing suddenly at the doorway. " I wanted to know if you would behave yourself if I let you out. There are demons that would like to see you."

" I will see her now, if you don't mind." a woman's voice echoed behind her and Kagome turned to see a mirror of her mate in woman form. " Kagome. What an interesting surprise, and this being the biggest party of the year." she said waving her hand to gesture toward the celebration behind her.

" will you mock me as well?" she asked her mother in law. The inu woman smiled and danced over to her.

" even better. I wish to make a purchase. How much did you want for her, I have a trove to draw from." she smiled. " don't think i'm naive, I know what the life a human is worth to you, nothing, so deal fairly with me and you will be even richer."

" you want to buy me? Are you going to set me free?" she asked hoping.

"Hmmm, no. im sending you to the mainland to become a slave for my dear friend there. He will just adore you." she said laughing thoroughly amused by the woman's face. The color had drained out and she was at the edge of tears.

" I will negotiate, I never imagined that you would be the one to help me with my vengeance against your mate." Satori laughed and ran his hands through his hair.

" this is not about your vengeance, I hope you die. This is about my son. This woman has warped him and I want her gone."

" that seems to be a general feeling, okay i'll begin negotiating after the celebrations, I hate to ruin such a magnificent party. Let us return." Satori offered her his arm and the lady inu took it without a second thought.

Kagome fell to her knees when the door was closed. She could not hold back the tears and was nearly consumed in her depression. She reached for the bars to stand again but her legs failed her. She had been so hopeful and the knowing that even she would conspire to get her away from Sesshomaru.

No one wanted him to be happy, every one wanted to use him as a pawn and she was so tired of it all. " I won't let them warp you back, Sesshomaru. I want you to be happy." she whispered and drew her hand to caress the mating mark on her shoulder. She flt the responding warmth and sighed taking comfort in his presence.

She sat up.

" Sesshomaru" she gasped and was renewed. She brought her fingers back to the scarring and called to him, sending her spiritual power out to find him. He was there outside of the palace grounds, coming for her. She gasped for breath feeling as if she was suffocating with her want to reach him.

There was a sound that pierced the celebration and silenced the entire crowd of both noble demon and slaves. They turned to the door, where the loud banging had started and then looked at the host of the celebration as if they expected him to answer the door.

Sesshomaru roared when he felt the tremor of Kagome's want for him, she was close, in pain and wanting to reach him. He felt it as if he were listening to her cry with his own ears and tried to tear through the mountain to reach her. He felt something give when he began to hit the stone with the full force of his strength and then there was a splintering of hardwood under his fists. His knuckles were bloody, lip snarled and seeing the illusion falter he began anew.


	33. trying for war

Inuyasha woke with a start when he heard the banging on the outside of the barrier. It was thundering through the palace and at once he was both relieved and terrified. He looked around the dark space and tried to find something that could hide his scent. He found nothing.

He went to the door of the large chamber and looked down the hallway. Stepping out he began to skulk down the dark hall until he came to an open window. Looking out he saw nothing, just an endless snow scape that seemed not to begin or end.

"where are you, Sesshomaru? What's taking so long?"he said frustrated. Inside himself he knew that his brother would never leave Kagome. She was his main focus throughout the day weather it was following her in the shadows or dominating her attention. It was more then obvious that he didn't want to be away from her, but him? His brother barely tolerated his existence, but would he leave him a prisoner to this demon Lord?

With the little strength he possessed Inuyasha began sprinting down the halls toward the massive gathering of demons. He couldn't see them all from where he stopped at the corner of the slaves entrance but he was able to hear the clamouring of confrontation and the challenge of his brothers intrusion. Looking for a place to conceal himself he shrunk back into the shadows and watched for his moment.

"Won't you answer this call Lord Satori?"a bear demon called. The bear around him nodded in agreement and an air of unrest began to settle among the demon crowd. He saw Satori at the head of the tables and saw his demon form start to tremble. The hint of the feral beast showed on his face. He gripped the edge of the table and Inuyasha heard the cracking of the wood under his hands.

He swallowed the fear and shrunk further back as the banging began to slow and then stop. "there is no chance of him getting through, there is no need to stop the celebration for the needs of a riled dog. I have my prize from his failings and I will not yield now. "he announced, he signalled his guards to swarm the entrance of the great room.

Large bird demons gathered in a flock like towering giants, Inuyasha was intrigued by the size of these common bird demons. He had never been around many demons, and did not understand the way that the different species interacted, but he was sure of the tension between the land demons and the demons of the air. He could see the shifting, and hear the murmurs of the different creatures as they watched the birds of prey line up and disappear out of the barriers shimmering light.

Amber eyes scanned the room. She sniffed for the scent of her young and stood when she heard him trying to break through the barrier. The lady inu felt the eyes of several of her peers and only cleared her throat as the Lord of the manor locked eyes on her, curious at her reaction after the transaction they had just made.

Her will was clear, her son was the only one that mattered. Even in her attempt to separate him from the human, she only wanted what was best for him. To be happy with his own kind. It wasn't about politics, she didn't care who was in charge. She only wanted her son to get what he deserved.

"there is a protocol for this kind of intrusion, I believe you are supposed to meet your challenger face to face. Will you not even glance at the demon that dares to confront you?"she asked innocently. Everyone shifted uncomfortably, knowing that this woman was once the prize of the most dangerous demon alive and currently sitting at the head of a strong clan.

"i will not be disturbed from my guests. An intruder must simply wait."he said not budging from his seat. There was a commotion beyond the barrier and Satori actually sat forward to see if they managed to bring him back. Nothing. No one came back through his barrier and he raised a jeweled charm up to his eye ad looked through the barrier.

Cringing he saw the pile of guards tied up and being guarded by an old fire demon. The dog demon was standing at the entrance feeling around for the weakening place in the barrier. Satori smirked at the attempt. There was no way for him to get in. he would stand there and freeze before he was getting into his palace.

At the third table from the Lord a wolf demon sat in wait. His eyes shifted from one avian demon to the next as he calculated the amount of distraction necessary to allow the door to be opened.

Across from him a group of cat demons began to shift in agitation they talked amongst themselves and the interested wolf demon smirked when he heard there complaining. Leaning to his companion he whispered a few persuasive comments that had him nodding in agreement. The unrest began to escalate when the wolves began to talk amongst themselves about the destruction that satori himself had caused.

Lord Satori was ruling the clans of the demon alliance as if they were his servants and the dogs confrontation was bringing the disorder to light.

"The wolf clan's many branches are being terrorized by the condor, as was the neko, kitsune, and inu, and yet the heads of the strongest tribes came to adhere to the customs of their people and acknowledge his strength after defeating the head of the council." the clan head said announcing his rage. Satori was losing his calm, clenching his fists and the feathers began to show in his hairline.

The thundering began again and the murmuring began to increase to a disruptive chatter that began to echo off of the walls and bounce off of the ceiling. Inuyasha was relieved that his hearing was muted from transformation and began to crawl under the tables as demons began to stand and argue amongst themselves.

Satori gritted his teeth and looked over his shoulder at the place he knew Kagome was being kept. "she is calling to you demon, I see you have come for your human as I knew you eventually would. Let's see if you're strong enough to take her back."he said to himself before standing. The clans would see his strength, and when he killed this demon then they would have no one to champion them against him.

He clapped his hands together and got everyone's attention. The chatter quieted but did not stop when he exuded his strong aura. "ladies and gentleman. It seems as if he is waiting to be addressed. I will see to this nuisance and return victorious."Satori was smug about the interruption. He took his time, not wanting to hurry into a dogfight, but was ready to prove his power.

"don't tell me the great condor is afraid of some dog with a death wish? Can't you give us a demonstration of your strength?"the wolf demon heckled from across the room. He stopped and turned murderous eyes on him

Satori scoffed "the wolf tribe needs a reminder of my strength. I will not forget your disbelief. Does anyone else wish to see my prowess?"he looked around and saw a number of demons murmuring to each other. "I see…. You will all pay for this. I will not be tested in my own home." he summoned a few servants and made them clear the great dinning room to the entrance.

Sesshomaru growled as he felt the strength of the great barrier, he slammed his fist against it and was frustrated.

"Don't give up Boy."Totosai said urging the young demon to keep going. There was an air of hope as the demon hunters joined their ranks. They filed in from the human road and watched the passion he had, trying to break through. They talked amongst themselves, he could hear their belief in him and shunned the worthless talk for what it was. Kagome was still in danger.

Youkio felt the barrier ripple and was sure that it was weakening. He could see the bitterness in his posture as he paced, though he saw the effort Sesshomaru made to hide the anxiety.

To Sesshomaru, his strength felt worthless. Kagome was separated from him by only a thin barrier but he felt it as a gulf. Unconsciously he gripped the hilt of tokijin, he felt the ranging of thousands of demon souls raging from the anger that pulsed through him. He was weak, too weak to save her and she would be killed or kept prisoner. What had he been thinking, he shook his head and wondered how he thought he could defeat someone his father was hardly able to defeat?

Holding the breath from the familiar fire in his core he almost felt his father's amused stare and with drew the sword with a sharp snap. Hands clenched he tried to breath through the anger that filled him from the remembrance of those dark years. He would not give in to weakness.

The barrier taunted him, and proved the weakness his father had smashed him for from the time of his infancy. He had worked to gain power, had bled and fought for even the slightest recognition and had gotten none. He had gain the reputation to match his father's and he would be damned before he let the old man get one over on him.

Growling at the bitterness he felt from trying so hard to leave this life behind him and being unable to. It was maddening, infuriating that he couldn't have any peace without the ghosts of his past coming to haunt him. They antagonized him, bated him to return, now he was going to prove what a mistake it is to cross paths with him. He would be left alone after this.

"Use this anger, let us consume you and you will be strong enough to break his barrier." the sword called to him. It wanted the power, he felt the need driving him to let them poses him, to give in and take what he wanted. He refused… for now.

"You will not control me." He seethed and raised the weapon. "But i will get what i want from you. Break this barrier!" Youkio heard the sword cut the air behind d him and turned to look nervously. Sesshomaru's eyes were set on him and with one quick motion he charged "get out of my way. "he leapt to the side and watched with awe as the barrier began to crack. The sword leached the energy of the great barrier.

Sesshomaru gripped tokijin in his hands and charged the barrier. Slicing the thin aura, he was nearly thrown backwards from the release. Tokijin drew in the power, he could feel the pulsing through his arms and spirit as energy entered him through the weapon. He was charging up faster than he ever believed possible and was in agony from the changes that occurred within himself.

Totosai watched with alarm as the sword changed him. Before his eyes the lad grew in size and strength as he obviously leached the power from the barrier. Looking around he saw the barrier begin to crumble. He shook his head. " what a show." he said as he hoisted up his walking stick and began to follow after him. He stopped and looked up.

"incredible" youkio said aloud as the entire barrier was thrust from reality and disappeared into the judgement sword. He had only been expecting a small opening in the barrier and yet the entire thing was gone Youkio and Ren shouted with excitement and came up behind him when the door was revealed.

Sesshomaru smelled Kagome, he scented her tears and her anger, he raged inside and strode in.

Both Youkio and Ren stayed close to each other. Jakken took the back of the group behind Totosai and held his staff ready for either fire or poisons. The back of his great Lord was rigid, barely able to contain the rage he had inside himself.

Satori gaped at the show of power and looked at the dog accusingly when he entered the chamber.

"Satori, you will pay for taking from me."he growled and looked around at the group of demons that stood watching. Sesshomaru looked around at the great hall, to the servants and then the guests before he closed the distance between him and the condor demon. Black eyes swept over him,they judged him and Sesshomaru seethed under the scrutiny.

"Pup you are not even fit to step into my palace. The disgraced son of a former Lord? You are nothing, not even worth the trouble it took to take that yowling bitch from you."he scoffed he hears Sesshomaru's mother growl in the background.

At the mention of Kagome Sesshomaru clenched his teeth audibly. "Shut your mouth"he growled and charged. Satori scoffed and sidestepped the rage that was nearly blinding to the dog demon. "You have angered this one for the last time, return her to me."he said and sliced the air with his razor claws.

Exchanging nearly blindingly quick punches, they dodged the other with precision and skill. Sesshomaru was faster than he had been before. Was driven to overcome this challenge once and for all. He saw Satori sweat. The demon was not used to a flurry of shots from any opponent. Jumping back out of reach Satori began to panic when a poisoned claw grazed his chest and a thin line of blood dripped down the white material of his haori. He smirked trying not to let the rage and alarm show in his eyes.

Hushed voices began to murmur throughout the room. Watching the battle with vested interest, the group did not see the child hiding beneath the tables and crawling from one side of the room to the other. A hallway stood unguarded to the place where his mother was being kept.

Seeing an opportunity to run Inuyasha darted across the open space. Sliding to a stop he saw the light from early dawn and tried to hide himself near where kagome was to disguise the scent. He crouched at the base of the stares and watched with amazement as his brother fought the condor on equal footing. He winced when his brother was slammed backwards with a well timed kick.

At once Sesshomaru flew across the room and hit the wall. The breath left his body and he stood with some effort before charging once more into his personal war. He didn't care about the hushed praise, or the demons that began to gain momentum as the fight continued. He felt an even mix of loathing and pride from them as he once more began a barrage of strikes. Satori was skilled, he dodged and blocked with as much skill as the greatest generals he'd ever fought.

Sesshomaru felt the rush of wind as the demons aura battered against his own. He smelled the hatred like a thick miasma and was disgusted by it. It reminded him of weakness and pain, of his father's amused glare, his stomach knotted from the thought.

He drilled him to the back wall. He followed him to the wall and pounded Into him with his fists. He heard the clamour of guards behind him and then the scuffling of his companions as they began to fight alongside of him.

Behind d him he felt the rush of an axe and turned see Youkio standing locked blade to blade with one of Satori's minions. Satori took the opportunity to slash him across the chest with a transformed talon and he gripped his foot wrenching the bones and smirking at the sound of cracking. He cringed and felt the air whoosh through his hair when he was grabbed up by the leg and flipped to the ground. The breath left him and he stared up at raging amber.

"You are beaten." Sesshomaru growled and stepped down on his throat. The condor demon grasped his foot and began to change. Throwing him back he jumped up and at the top of the stair, a being of other worldly power stepped into view. A black miasma filled the room, and at once Sesshomaru could smell Kagome. Looking up he was stopped by the sight of her dangling by the arm in a Kami's hand while he watched the fighting amused.

Kagome felt the grip slipping, she saw the pure amusement in Roku's eyes and knew she was being used as a distraction. On the ground Satori raked Sesshomaru with the other set of talons and was forced back as Roku released Kagome and she began to fall.

Sesshomaru jumped to catch her. Kagome reached for him, willing herself to be caught by the demon she trusted, and felt the breath of his hand as he tried to catch her and was denied. He caught himself against the wall and was furious. "Give her to me." he roared and launched himself into he black miasma. Sesshomaru met the rage of the kami from his threat. Roku warped the miasma around him and he felt he breath being crushed from his lungs. He fought the blackness and willed his body to move.

Kagome tried not to struggle against the tendrils that wrapped around her form. She felt Sesshomaru's anger in waves, he was close to transforming. Tokijin hummed at his side, and she could see the power that began to overtake him. The kami smirked and held him as if he were a marionette. Sesshomaru was unable to control his own limbs as the miasma began to fill his lungs and take control of him.

"What a nuisance she is to you Sesshomaru, she has warped you, twisted you, and now it's time for you to return." he said and Sesshomaru could see flashes of his past in his mind. He felt the power of hatred, felt the warm life-giving blood dripping from his claws and knew he had no remorse. There were too many lives taken, too much time spent in war and he was sickened. "Stop."he grunted through the pull of the flashes.

He was moving without wanting to, his body being pulled forward. It was a familiar sensation of possession and he fought the being for control. His hands moved forward and he could see the fear written plainly in Kagome face. She was afraid, of him.

"...No, I don't think so, right now, you are like a broken toy, but when I'm done with you, you will once again be the perfect warrior of destruction." he said and Sesshomaru felt himself move toward Kagome, she looked up at his claws with understanding. His heart was in his throat when his claws fell, he saw her surrender, she closed her eyes and exposed her neck, trusting him to do what he had to..

Roku laughed aloud and clapped his hands at her final effort to sway him. Sesshomaru's claws fell through the air to her throat and the scent of her blood filled his senses.

Sesshomaru lost it.

With everything he had, he began to overcome the kamis hold on him. He never wanted this, never wanted to be a tool of war and yet, every one in the world wanted him to fight for them. Even to the point of kidnapping his woman to lure him back. He was tired, he was pissed off and most of all done with this. "i will not be your pawn." He let the sword have him and he cursed the consequences.

"what?"Roku asked and urged him with his power to kill the worthless woman and be done with it. Sesshomaru didn't move. He raged inside, panting from the depletion of energy he had experienced breaking the hold over him. He withdrew the sword of judgement and felt the rage of a thousand demons as they clamoured to overtake him. He felt them, they were guiding him, wanting him to be theirs and he let himself go. But he would not be controlled by them, they were his to use. He decided and held his mind when they raged inside of him.

Kagome exhaled a breath of relief and went to him embracing him before he pushed her behind him and stepped forward. "Kagome, get the boy, I will take care of this."he snarled and Kagome nodded quickly before running from the miasma.

Satori heard the growl reverberate through the palace as he tried to defend it. The guests had begun to chose sides and everyone of them fought against his guards. The bird demons of all kinds flurried in defense of their stake. They had never been so powerful and could not let that go.

The energy of the black miasma had been shielding the view from the guests still until the sound of a dog's howl broke through the silence. Eyes turned to the thick cloud but no one expected what happened next.

When the white inuyoukai withdrew his sword the darkness dissipated. "You think your going to stop me? You cannot."Roku laughed and was met with enraged amber eyes. He stared at him with pure loathing and Roku almost smiled at the black hatred. "Yes hate... destroy me for taking your human"he antagonized the darkness in him.

Sesshomaru felt a familiar fire in his belly and began to fight with everything he had. Roku looked afraid when his claws came town with the force magnified by anger and borrowed power.

Behind him he heard the cries of battle, even the formerly neutral guests fought back against the coup for power, the bird demons defended. Satori changed into his natural state and flew above the crowd diving upon them to pick them off one at a time. Others followed suit. The creatures locked to the ground, looked up in horror as they began to be killed off by tearing talons. Satori snapped a wolf demon between his beak and there was a howl heard through the room as the leader of the wolf tribe was consumed.

Canines of all kinds began to transform and the dining hall turned into a warzone.

Kagome's legs felt like jelly as she shot from the top of the stairs to the hall that lead to the slave quarters. She began calling for Inuyasha, was searching frantically when he came out of nowhere and launched himself into her arms. He laid kisses across her face and hugged her to the point of pain. "mother, I want to go home."he said and Kagome nodded nearly crying from the emotion from being reunited..

"We have to get out of here, we have to show sesshomaru your human side" she whispered and Inuyasha swallowed the fear and nodded though his heart raced in his chest.

"We have to get home" he nodded. Turning back to the warzone Kagome ran back to where she had left Sesshomaru and was in shock at the violence that had broken out while she had searched for Inuyasha. A pair of battling demons fell backwards toward her and she backed away trying to avoid the flying claws and talons when a wolf demon appeared and blocked her from the brunt of the damage caused. She shielded Inuyasha with her arms and he pushed them off of her.

"My lady, you must leave this place now,"he said and Kagome planted her feet.

"Who are you?"she said stubbornly refusing to be ushered by another demon.

"I am Takumi of the wolf tribe, I have been helping to hide Inuyasha while he is vulnerable to the demons wrath. You must trust me this entire place is unsafe for you to be."he said trying to urge her to believe him he looked at the boy and saw that he was human but did not react.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome "mother we have to get out."he said as the palace began to shake around them. As she looked at him his white hair and demon features returned and she sighed in relief. The sun was rising. The wolf demon held his surprise and kagome looked at him with clear challenge. He stepped back from the spike of power he felt and knew he was in danger more than she at the moment.

At once Sesshomaru felt the foundation of the building begin to shake and he looked at the kami as he chanted. Each sword blow had lessened his reserve for killing and he lusted for the blood of this kami. He had dared to cross him this way and Sesshomaru vowed not to let him live. "You are a worthless kami that holds no power over me." he spat and sliced the air where his throat had been.

Roku stared into black hatred and smiled as he felt the energy from the holy relic begin to overtake him."don't be so sure Sesshomaru. I will pursue you, I will take Kagome again and next time I won't have you kill her. I will take her to my realm and she will be mine, not dead, mine. She will know the touch of a being far greater than you."he sneered not meaning it but liking the reaction that Sesshomaru showed so openly.

He stopped mid step and Roku saw his teeth fists and shoulders clench with the hatred that image brought. "you will never touch her again."he yelled and was overcome by the energy of the sword.

Power exploded throughout the room and Sesshomaru threw his head back laughing with the voices of a thousand demons.

Jakken gasped alarmed and saw the scarlet glare of his master and the wicked grin that was so out of character. Reaching into his pocket Jakken muttered to himself. "master forgive me."he put his beak around the end of the silver whistle and blew a shrill tone that made the demon birds fall from the sky. He sounded off with some satisfaction, running between the legs of much larger demons and stopping only to sound off again and aid his masters will.

Sesshomaru felt the tide turning in the battle as the birds around him began to fall. Power rippled through every pore and he felt an incredible rush from the combined energy of the sword. Kill, it urged him. He felt the spirits clamouring for his soul, they wanted him, he felt their power. What they offered him. Protection,with this power he would protect Kagome. He decided and let go.

Power released into him from the sword and he panted wanting all of it and being swept away in the ecstasy of it. Pleasure and adrenaline pumped through his entire being and he let out a breathy moan as he became more than he had ever been before.

Roku saw the change and was pleased. He dripped with power and with each strike became more and more like the demon he wanted to see. "Come get me Sesshomaru,"he taunted him disappearing from in front of him and reappearing behind him.

Sesshomaru saw the apparition of energy as he appeared and began to scent for the bursts of energy that would show him the next place he would appear. He saw the war kami drop his defense to attack after an appearance and looked for the opportunity to strike. With each reappearance Sesshomaru struck, faster and faster until he landed a hard punch to the eye socket of the kami.

Roku felt the breaking of bone when Sesshomaru's punch connected, he yelled out his pain and stepped back from it into a side kidney shot that damaged his rib and bruised intestines. "How are you doing this?"he yelled and Sesshomaru roared with the voice of a thousand demons. Roku stepped back and saw the amount of energy that he possessed. "how are you this strong?"he asked.

"You dared to touch what is mine. You will never get away with that."he snarled and sliced a thin line across his throat. A small line of blood appeared and Roku gasped and began to thrash as he gathered his minions and began to leave.

The bird demons were beaten there, the canine and other land locked demons held their own against the opposing force and no one could dispute their claim. Satori fought still. Taking out one demon after another as they attempted to subdue him, Roku plucked Satori up from the fight and they left that place. As they did the foundation began to shake and the building began to crumble around them.

Sesshomaru sheathed the sword and felt for the presence of his priestess. Running to her he gripped her and the boy to his side and ran from the building. Most of the guests made it out of the building safely, looking around Sesshomaru saw demons of every race standing about, panting from the efforts of batte. Inuyasha clung to his arm not wanting to let go. "Brother no, I can't go back."he pleaded thinking that Sesshomaru would leave him there if he left his sight.

"i will not allow you to be here, now let go."he said without humor. Inuyasha nodded and released his brothers arm. Turning to Kagome Sesshomaru leaned to her and placed his nose against her temple and then her chin trying to see what kind of damage she had endured. "Kagome, what are you wearing?"he said looking down at the blue kimono, she blushed and shrugged.

"He made me change out of my priestess garb."she bit her lip thinking that he would be mad and was right.

"Did he touch you?"he asked seriously, seeing the distress in her eyes he felt at the edge of a great explosion when she shook her head and stepped forward to burry her face in his chest. He was filled with both warmth and possessiveness and turned her away from the rest of the demons while he inhaled her scent deeply. Kagome looked up at him and saw the edge in his eyes. He was fatigued, she could see the anger and bitterness and frowned at the bloodlust he wore as a veil between them.

"You've gotten taller."she said noticing it as she stood on her toes to kiss his chin and found herself too short where she used to be able to reach. He dropped his chin and let her kiss him, smirking at her inspection. She felt his arms and chest. "and bigger, how do your clothes fit still?"she wondered. It was kind of silly but she tried to lighten the mood between them.

"They are made for me they will always fit."he said shrugging. He slipped back into his normal sarcastic self and she smiled relieved that he wasn't lost.

"Oh. I should have known."she answered with the same sarcasm shaking her head. She noticed Youkio standing by himself and waved him over. Youkio brightened up and, transforming into his cat self, jumped into her arms purring.

"What a low display of behavior."Ren Commented earning a swipe from his brothers claws. Kagome turned him away from Ren and Sesshomaru moved between them protectively.

"Don't touch her."he growled to Ren, eyeing Youkio the man got the hint and jumped out of her arms. Kagome felt the real danger the cat was in and looked at him not sure what was happening

"So glad to see you well Kagome, and I might say, you are looking ravishing in that kimono,"Youkio bowed and earned a nod from Sesshomaru.

Demons began to gather around him, all chattering about the unfairness of Satoris control. "we need you to take care of this-"one shouted. " you can't leave now"

"He needs to be stopped and none of us can do it-"another cried. Sesshomaru growled and began to back away from the crowd. He saw his mother in the group, she was shaking her head and egging the crowd on.

" I do not want any part of your war." he said and was met with cries of dismay. "i won't do it." Sesshomaru saw his comrades gather around him, Youkio, Ren, Totosai, Jakken, every one of the demon hunters tribe and finally his human. The demons noticed the diversity of the group and wondered.

"That is the son of the great general- he's standing with humans?"one wolf demon wondered shaking his head.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what are your orders?" Haku called coming to him and bowing.

Sesshomaru looked around at the demons and humans and felt the pressure from their desperation. He closed his heart to it. " I am going home now."he said and gripped Kagome to his side with Inuyasha clinging to her. Haku nodded and gathered his demon slayers. They mounted up on their horses and when Sesshomaru launched into the air they began to file down the side of the mountain.

Demons stared after him with disbelief, no one wanted him to leave them after such an open show of defiance against a dangerous enemy, but there he was flying into the distance.

Yukio sighed, knowing that Sesshomaru wasn't one for political intrigue and shook his head."you."he heard and twisted around to see the entire party of guests, which contained heads of great families and tribal leaders. Their eyes were on him and he began to panick.

"What do you want me for?"he asked.

"Get him to help us, Satori and that kami that protects him are going to destroy us all."a large wolf demon approached him and he backed up raising his hackles.

"I don't control him! Did you not just hear him tell you he wasn't helping? What more can I do?"he asked and the wolf demon stared down at him with intense eyes when he leaned forward to whisper.

"You convince that woman to help us then he will help us. Didn't you feel her spiritual energy, if she will fight for us, then her mate will too."he urged and Youkio groaned.

"I don't think you understand-"he tried and Ren Stepped up beside him, putting his arm around him and shutting him up.

"I think he understands, lets just get the girl to help us, no big deal, she's a bleeding heart anyway."Ren Shrugged and Youkio looked at him wide eyed.

The crowd of demons began to chatter amongst themselves then and Youkio excused himself, going to his travel companion he nudged the raccoon demon and gestured for them to take off before anyone noticed.

"Take me too, it seems as if my Lord has forgotten me."Jakken said startling Youkio. The cat demon nodded and Jakken and the raccoon demon snuck off behind the rubble of the palace and the transformed demon, flew into the distance.

Roku raged as they disappeared from the realm of existence. Satori groaned from the pain of entering the spirit realm and Roku glared at him harshly. "You are a fool, why did you have to take that girl? She was a useless whelp that brought undue trouble from some one who should have been easy to convert."he yelled and Satori huffed.

"I was trying to understand him better, you heard what she said, no one has ever just decided to stop being a demon…"

"he is still a demon... he's following that twerp. Why? Why is he her slave when he should be mine."Roku raged. He threw up his hands and sat in his throne-Like chair.

"maybe its not because of the woman. Maybe he just wants to get away from fighting so much."Satori shrugged, he was tired of this, he was enraged that the demons he'd been controlling we're now looking to that pup for protection, "if they get him on their side then we won't be able to win."Satori compalained.

"You will not fail me!"Roku screamed and began throwing things against the wall, shattering things and spreading glass over the floor.

"How can I beat him when he gets so much more powerful each time I face him? the woman does too. When she escaped she injured nine demons before she even left the hallway."he said and Roku rolled his eyes.

"You stayed too long in that cage, Satori. Man up and do what you need to do to keep control."Roku growled and sent Satori away in a burst of energy. "What a worthless slave compared to the killing perfection."he sighed.

Sesshomaru did not stop at the shrine, he knew the demon slayer would tell the other priestess of her sisters well being. He didn't want to hear kikyo's mouth. Kagome looked both relieved and exhausted and he was bitter with himself for the entire ordeal.

Blue eyes looked up his profile, he could feel the anticipation for her questioning. He landed. There was still several hours of travel before they would be home, but seeing a place to rest he took the opportunity for a bath and to hunt.

Kagome took some unsteady steps on the ground and stretched her arms and legs. Gasping at the unladylike gesture she looked around for the fist that would collide with her stomach of chest and was relieved to find only the curious eyes of her demon. Inuyasha was quiet, he clung to her leg not wanting to release her even when she tried to walk around.

"Inuyasha,"she said untangling him and kneeling. "Are you hurt?"she asked and he shook his head though she could see the bruises. She tipped his head forward and kissed his forehead. "No one will hurt you again."she promised and gathered him in her arms. He held onto her, and could not stop the tears. He cried into her shoulder and she held him tightly, not wanting to let him go either.

Sesshomaru watched. He felt the relief from her presence, but could see that she was scarred from the time away from him. Kagome looked up at him over Inuyasha's shoulder and stood with him in her arms. He held onto her as a lifeline and Sesshomaru felt the warmth of her love for him. It was something he had always resented, and yet was comforted by. He would not take the child in his arms himself, there was no reason for that, but he liked seeing Kagome hold him. He liked scenting the warmth of her maternal love and was relaxed by it. It was something that had solidified his want for her.

Kagome went to sit with Inuyasha in her arms like she did when he was an infant and he drifted to sleep in her arms. Sighing from the familiarity of the position, she beckoned Sesshomaru to her and he took a seat next to her. Taking his hand in hers she smiled when he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. "i missed you."she admitted and he scoffed.

" you wont have to again." he promised


	34. what you want

What it took to get rid of the people in front of his house, Sesshomaru didn't want to revisit. It had been drastic, transforming into his beast self and roaring and driving the lesser demons and humans away. Kicking the door closed behind him he tried to relax from the time he had spent away from home.

Shippo came running when he sented their approach and hesitantly got within sight as he crowd of people began to flee. "my lord you are home… What took so long? Where is Jakken?" he asked making Sesshomaru exasperated with his questioning. Kagome stepped past Inuyasha and held her arms out for Shippo as he launched himself into her arms. " Kagome I wasn't expecting you at all, where is Kikyou?"

"She is still at the shrine. I'm going to write her in the morning to tell her that we are safe, I needed to come home, we needed to come home." she motioned for Inuyasha to follow her and she went Inside.

Sesshomaru paused before he entered the hut and breathed a sigh of relief as Kagome went to the lamps and began to make alive their small living space.

Within several minutes the hut was warm, dimmed for the night with its inhabitants snugly tucked away from the rest of the world.

For Kagome, though she felt the security her demons energy around her, she was restless- space began to withdraw around her. she felt trapped, saw bars lining the space that was just too small to move in and the breath began to leave her in gusts of panic. Sitting up, she came awake and flung the cover off of her. Kagome panicked as she drew her mind back from the nightmare she had just experienced

She felt Sesshomaru shift towards, her he'd been guarding her constantly over the hours since their return. " I am here." he said reaching for her. She searched for him blindly and sighed when she felt his hand close around hers. Sesshomaru scented her fear and was enraged at the helplessness he felt.

" I can't breath." she said loosening her color and taking exaggerated breaths. "Every time I close my eyes I see the inside of that cage." she moved forward and was received into his embrace. He felt the rising of the demons inside of him and tried to quiet them.

They battered at his will. Tried to overtake him at the slightest show of weakness and it was something he could not afford to lose control of. " Kill. Kill them all." the demons inside of him raged, he could feel the turbulence within his own aura and knew the pleasure already of stamping his enemies face into the dirt, they encouraged him, willed him to give in to violence. He was tempted.

" he will not touch you. I will not allow it." he said meaning it. He looked at tokijin, setting on the stand he had built and felt nothing from it, the demons were inside of him. He felt them within himself and he couldn't help but wonder what would come of this latest development.

Putting the concern for Violet's reaction or vengeance out of his mind, he brooded as Kagome began to drift off again in his arms. He held her to him, savoring the feel of her need of him and tried to hold into the peace he had found.

His mind was drawn to his youth, the gnawing fear and anger that drove him to become a monster and rejected it. He was not his father, he was not going to let his anger ruin the only thing that he had enjoyed in his life-his relationship with Kagome.

Already so many things worked against him, even his own mother whom he had cared for so much wanted him to be without his mate. He thought of the scene with his mother earlier and could not stop the anger he felt at the situation.

Dropping his nose into her onyx hair, he drew in her scent to memorized it once more, feeling comforted by her closeness. Hands moving to grasp her soft flesh through the material of her yukata he pulled her closer to his chest, moulding her back to his front.

" no one will ever take you from me." he vowed.

Kagome mumbled in her sleep feeling afraid of the confining hold Sesshomaru had around her and she shifted away from him. He reluctantly let her put some space between them and tried to remind himself that she was scarred from the time away from him.

He saw her fear, she was unable to hide it from him-the person who until this incident was the only person she had ever feared like that. He recalled the days of his siege against her and shook his head at his own foolish behavior, that time had stolen from him the trust and passion he should have been feeling with her from the beginning.

Looking at her face he recalled with shame the screams of terror and her crying for the fear he had instilled. It had taken so much effort to get passed that phase of their relationship, and he didn't want to backtrack years of progress because of someone else's interference.

When the morning came, Kagome was not rested. She woke gasping for breath and sitting up hurriedly. " Inuyasha." she called.

The boy opened one eye and yawned sitting up when she called him. " mother?" he answered and nodded when she beckoned him to her.

Kagome pulled him to her chest and curled around him wanting to make sure that he was safe. Inuyasha put his arms around her and fell back asleep beside. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome with irritation and suppressed the desire to throw the boy from his bed for taking her attention from him. Sitting up he got off of the futon and left the hut.

He stalked through the forest, feeling for the animals that foraged for food and finding some right away. He strode forward, crashing through the undergrowth as the animal came into view and with a sharp wave of demonic aura he stilled the creature with pure fear. Eyes that reflected the moon's light looked up at him and with a cold smirk he reached for its throat and snapped the vertebrae with a pleasing crack.

It felt good to kill, he wanted bigger game, faster stronger game, he wanted to snap that condors neck and watch his lifeless corpse fall to the ground. Thinking about Kagome's constant night terrors he was beside himself with the level of this violation. They had barely touched him, but one more person had hurt Kagome.

The demons inside of him had not settled, they had not relented their constant battering against his will, he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword and tried to make them go back into it, they would not.

" then you are mine." he seethed to the demons inside himself. They raged within him and he could feel the bloodlust like nausea. Disorienting him and making him stagger forward from the overwhelming hatred of the demon spirits. "I will not become your slave." he said aloud.

Taking a breath he took a moment to meditate and regain control over his emotions. Sesshomaru had not had to use this technique since he was a child settling from a near tantrum that might end his life if his father were embarrassed. He breathed through the fury and began to bury it. When he was calm again he sighed, leaning his head against the bark of a tree and feeling the quiet after fighting them back.

" what have you done."

Sesshomaru turned and looked straight into Violet's eyes. They looked at him with pity and he felt the growl building up within himself. " I am at the mercy of your will, child kami." he rebutted.

" Sesshomaru, this was not supposed to happen. What did you do?" she asked him trying to make him answer her though he had turned his back and was retreating.

" I needed their strength and they gave it to me" he said simply. Violet groaned.

" you do not remember what I told you. If you allow the demons to consume you-"

" they have not consumed me- they are mine to use, do not think I am weak."he said feeling anger light through him.

" not yet. They are under no one's control but his, you are tainted with the hatred of every tool of his evil. You have undone all of my work." she started.

Feeling the fury begun to rise he turned and confronted her. " this is your fault." he growled letting the anger touch his eyes. " you couldn't just let me have Kagome and be on my way. You are a manipulative child that has meddled in my life for the last time." the anger from almost a decade of restraint came out then.

Violet gaped at him, she wasn't surprised at the anger he held for her, he had made his reluctance known from the first moment she had given the sword to him, but fear of her power had kept him from lashing out at her. "what's the problem, you have all the strength you ever wanted? And I-"

" Yes, you get what you want, while I am enslaved to you. You hold me at the cliff edge with Kagome life. How dare you." he raged "you've known who was after Kagome, you knew he was coming. Tell me something, do you watch your family struggle from night terrors, do you know what he put her through?"

" I could not see, I tried-" she tried to backpedal

"like hell you tried. Your part of the problem. You could not let us go…. For what? So you could create what you wanted in this world, a tool of your will? You are just like him, why don't you do your own work?" he grabbed the sword from his side and thrust it forward.

" I will not take it back. I need you- there has never been someone so strong that could help me. What your doing by judging these demons is helping to restore the balance of our realm." she tried to explain. " Roku has been fighting to send this space into chaos and constant warring. I want to help create a better place for the people and demons to live, my sword will only work in those with evil hearts, it does not affect good.

"don't you see, for you to use their power is to give in to the chaos. You are fighting for the enemy-"

"the only enemy I see is the one trying to control me." he turned and started to walk away from her, the sword sheathed at his side.

She opened the portal to her own realm and stepped into the blackness of the space between. " do my own work? Really the nerve of that man, doesn't he see what a gift that the sword is?"

" Violet, hasn't anyone ever told you that no one likes to be manipulated?" she heard Roku's scathing voice and turned to see his smug face leering at her. Violet crossed her arms feeling fury like she very rarely experienced.

" don't talk to me about manipulation, you caused this." she replied.

Roku smiled when she started to get agitated, she was ruffled and he suspected that it was due to the inu demon they both were trying to control. He was resilient, not wanting to be shackled by any one's agenda, but neither of them could let this go. " your father was a magnificent warrior, he died well." he egged her on.

Violet turned to Roku with loathing. " you dare speak to me about my father. You killed him, you took my parents from me. You will pay for it." she seethed. " how many of your followers do you have, the weak minded and frail? You will never regain the power you once had, I will never allow it." Violet was almost to the point of yelling at the older kami. She stepped forward. Pointing her finger in his face, sure of her accusation.

He laughed.

Violet felt the ground begin to shake under her feet when she heard the shrill tones of his laughter. He doubled over manic with the humor of the situation. " your own servants are your weakness. Do you think they like being controlled by a little freak orphan. You are annoying, and too self righteous. If you gave them the choice they would all abandon you like your worthless parents did when they challenged me and were defeated."

" you bastard-" Violet opened her portal and summoned her most loyal warrior. Niesha stepped through the portal and rushed to her aide. Neisha drew his sword and dropped into a stance to protect Violet.

Roku looked at the winged creature and shook his head. " your kind is weak- don't make me laugh." reaching into his pocket he withdrew a dagger. " this is all that I need to defeat you." he snorted.

A few days passed before Sesshomaru was able to put the incident with Violet behind him. Kagome was unusually quiet during these days. She didn't sing or talk or complain about anything and he was almost to the point of explosion.

Every day she would go to sleep holding the boy instead of him and he had to fight for the attention he desired. She was dressed in blue still, having decided that she liked to wear a kimono, he had gotten her one from the village- She looked beautiful in it, her hair bound at the base of her neck and bangs falling over her eyes as she worked.

" Kagome. Look at me." he demanded. She had paused, staring into space trying to finish carving a small figurine with Shippo who rattled on as if nothing were wrong. He could see her drifting into her mind and scented the anxiety that came with those flashbacks. He cleared his throat and beckoned her to look at him.

Shippo paused in the middle of his conversation and looked between his two guardians. He had noticed her change in behavior and Sesshomaru's constant hovering. They had not been themselves since returning and he had been too afraid to ask what had shaken them so much. He nodded at the gesture made for him to excused himself, and left them to go play with Inuyasha, who had adapted a similar sullen attitude since returning home. He sighed and tried his best to make the young inu smile though he too was absorbed in a daydream.

Kagome sighed when Shippo closed the door behind him and turned to Sesshomaru who was watching her with interest. She blushed thinking that he had been talking to her. " did you say something, sorry I wasn't paying attention." she said absently. He nodded.

" I was requesting your attention." he said making her smile. The corners of her mouth curved and she put the knife and piece of wood down. Kagome gave him her full attention for the first time in days and noticed that he was pondering something.

"Do you want something?" she asked and he raised his brow and quirked his head.

" do I ask you for things?" he questioned her thinking that it was an unusual reply to his want of her attention. He had never made a habit of asking her for things, he never thought of himself as needing her help.

" no, I guess you don't. Asking isn't really your strong point." she made a joke and snorted at it. He felt a small relief that she was acting like herself for the moment and sat forward to tell her what he had been thinking about.

" you have been absent minded, and too absorbed in the boy as of late. I feel neglected" he commented.

" please Sesshomaru, tell me how you really feel." she snorted.

" I require attention as well, so if you would, come here." he said and moved to where she was sitting, pulled her to his chest, and scented her hair liking the natural smell of minerals and herbs.

He held her against him, enjoying the feel of her closeness when he scented the spike in her heart rate. She took a breath, taking in the smell of his clothes and hair and sighing as she sank into his her chin back she showed her trust in him, holding her breath when she felt his razor fangs sliding across her skin, almost immediately she felt the warmth flood her entire being.

"Is this what you want?" sha asked huskily her neck was craned looking at him and feeling goosebumps rise over her skin. She feathered her fingers through his hair and untied the leather thong that kept his hair bound, letting his long silver strands fall onto his back. He growled contented at this, and descended onto her.

His hands delved into the material of her kimono and he began to pull away the silk folds of cloth. Kagome gasped when she felt the crisp morning air on her bared flesh, but did not feel much cold before her mate descended into frenzied kisses, sucking her supple flesh into his mouth and groaning.

Kagome felt anticipation and clung to him, letting him take her to heights to forget the fears she was holding on to. She touched his arms and chest feeling muscles like iron under his smooth skin. " I missed you," she said bringing her arms around him feeling enveloped by his strength.

" you do not have to, I am here. I will not let you go. I will not let anyone else hurt you." he breathed against her skin. His aura spiked and he began to suppress her energy with his own to reestablish his dominance. She had forgotten that he was the strongest, the one to protect her and he wanted to once more assure her that he, Sesshomaru, was not one to be taken lightly. "they will never hurt you again." He could feel the clamouring of the demon spirits inside of him, they reacted to his spike of energy with excitement and pushed him to possess her.

" im sorry ive been acting so off lately, I dont know whats gotten into me but I just can't sleep and every time I close my eyes…" Kagome started but he shushed her with a kiss that took her breath away.

" do not apologize for being afraid." Sesshomaru picked her up and took her to the futon where he rid her of most of her clothing before throwing his to the side. She gasped as he descended on her. Sesshomaru delved into the pleasure he had missed during her absence. He watched the shadows flee from her eyes as they made love, forgetting pain and fear if only for a moment.

He was close, just within the precipice of pleasure when he lost control. The pleasure blinded him, his need and the fury of her absence opened the way for the demons to take over and for a moment his eyes bled crimson. Gasping he felt his claws dig into her flesh tried to regain control as he heard her gasp, but was too far out of control to retake his power.

" ow." she cried and he felt her hands clawing at his wrists as he held her tightly. She gasped, moaning and trying to understand what was happening when she felt him jerk into her roughly.

Sesshomaru clenched his teeth and climaxed, and before he could stop himself he knotted inside her. Kagome cried out having never experienced his climax and held on to his arms as he began to come down from it, his teeth were locked around their mating mark and he held her pinned beneath him.

When he was able to see through the crimson haze he released her shoulder and settled on top of her, keeping most of his weight supported on his elbows. He frowned and looked down at the intimate connection "damn." he cursed.

" what happened?" she breathed.

" i- I don't know, I couldn't stop." he started to try to find reason for all of this and found nothing but bitterness. He buried his nose in her hair and shoulder trying to scent for the signs of fertility and was greeted with the delicate scent of her ovulation. He clenched his fist angrily and tried to remove himself from her.

" i'm not mad." she said trying to adjust to the feel of him. He jerked backward to separate himself from her but only managed to make her moan at the pressure against her womb. " this has never happened before… are you okay?" she asked trying to be understanding. She felt his irritation and anxiety and wasn't sure why.

" that is because I had never intended to impregnate you." he growled. He could feel his life draining away as well as her attention to him. Now he would have to fight for attention from three children and already resented the life of this child.

" pregnant?" she asked feeling a rush of excitement. She lifted her head and looked at him wanting to see if he was serious or not. " are you sure?" she asked

" I am almost positive." he said bitterly.

Kagome gasped and felt her heart began to beat out of control. She was going to be a mother again. " I never thought that this would happen." she said honestly. " but i'd always hoped."

Sesshomaru felt so many different things at once that it was hard not to yell when he saw how happy she was. Her eyes held a glow that extinguished his anger like a bucket of old water and she kissed him deeply. " I never wanted to share you." he said honestly.

" you won't have to share me. Don't you understand. This is going to be our family. Your son or daughter who loves you as much as I do. We are going to be great parents, i'm a lot older then I was when Inuyasha was born, and he is growing up so fast." she gushed and gasped when Sesshomaru backed away from her finally able to move. He sat back on her thighs looking down at her small back and bottom. He reached for her soft flesh and squeezed gently as she shifted sensually beneath his hands.

" this changes everything Sesshomaru." she beckoned him to lay next to her and snuggled in when he put his arms around her and pulled her against him.

" yes, it does." he confirmed. He could already scent the quickening of another life within her and was not sure how he felt. The rage had left him at her words. He had never before considered enjoying his parenthood, but he had seen first hand how much joy it gave to his only friend. Youkio even had twelve of them.

" are you happy about this? I know you didn't intend on it…" she tried but Sesshomaru wanted to squash the anxiety in her voice.

" we will figure this out." he said trying to convince himself as much as her.

Sitting up he placed his hand on his chest and felt he demons auras inside himself. They had overtaken his will in a moment of weakness, forced his instinct when his logical mind had suppressed it for so long. He stood and grasped the hilt of the sword trying to make them go back.

He meditated, unable to let go of his want to rid himself of this burden. " get out of my head." breathed as he heard heir unified laughter.

His claws dug into the wood of the floor and he grabbed his clothes, shoving his arms into his robes and pulling his Hakima back on.

Throwing the door open he stopped in his tracks when he saw Shippo and Inuyasha fighting in the yard. Inuyasha held the other boy in a chokehold, biting his ear and making Shippo grunt in pain.

Sesshomaru stood back and watched the boys fight, observing sharp reflexes and aggression coming from both.

Shippo wrenched out of Inuyasha's hold and punched him in the stomach, sending him backwards. Inuyasha doubled over, winded and gasped for breath as Shippo descended for the killing blow.

" Shippo." he said getting the boys attention. Shippo stopped in his tracks and looked up as if he had been caught stealing. " what are you doing?"

" I started it brother. I wanted to train and become stronger." Inuyasha stumbled forward.

Sesshomaru looked down at his brother with interest. " is that your wish, Inuyasha? To become stronger? You are a weak child how will you possibly get stronger." he almost laughed at the boy.

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head and he whimpered at the scathing tone. "I don't know but I cannot let mother be hurt again. I have to be able to protect her, she's all that I have." he was beginning to cry as he spoke and Sesshomaru found his tone irritating.

" if it is your wish, then you must stop crying. A woman cries when she is hurt and afraid. You must put away things that pups do and become the Inu you are. Do you understand?" he asked.

Inuyasha looked at his brother blankly. "I don't know-"

" Come Inuyasha," he said walking into the forest. Inuyasha looked up at his brother not believing what was happening.

" okay.." he smiled up at him and followed his brother. Shippo watched with apprehension as Inuyasha followed Sesshomaru into the forest and trailed them from a distance.

As the night began to set in Sesshomaru heard the sound of demons approach. He scented the air, detecting jakken and Youkio as well as another demon that he didn't recognize and eased up in the dominant aura he used to warn them away.

Standing he went to the door of his home and opened it, letting in the gentle breeze of the night. He watched their descent and went out to them, closing the door behind him. Kagome didn't even look up when he left, continuing to work inside while she still had the fuel for her lamp.

Sesshomaru saw the demons when they landed in his clearing. He growled, not ready to address the complaints of more people but he saw Youkio and knew that he was concerned about something.

" what have you brought into my territory Youkio?" he asked going to where his friend had landed. They smelled of mountain loam and spiritual magic and he wondered where on earth they had been over the last week.

Sesshomaru realized it was the first time that Youkio had been into his territory when he read the amazement on the nekos face, and depressed the sigh that threatened to escape

Youkio was surprised at the quaintness of his home. Even Sesshomaru had to admit that most people were surprised at the simplicity but he was comfortable living this way, with few possessions to worry about and a simple small life here with his mate and wards. Youkio looked around and saw the hut. He noted the garden and clotheslines and smiled thinking that this was a very comfortable place to come home to. Walking around he scented Kagome in the hut and went to the door. " Kagome?" he called.

Inuyasha was working quietly. Politely he looked up and acknowledged Youkio as he burst into the room. He recognized him from the mob of demons at the palace and his interest was peaked as Kagome smiled and greeted him with a friendly smile.

" Youkio! What are you doing here, is there something else happening?" she asked avoided the question by sidestepping her and walking into the hut. He smiled when he saw the hearth. It was laid with rock and crafted for cooking with a spit. There was a small chest and a rolled up futon stored neatly out of the way to make way for a work area.

In the corner he saw Inuyasha weaving reeds into a basket. The eyes of the young half demon stalked him curiously. " are you a cat?" he asked looking at the tail that flicked back and forth and the ears that sat on top of his head.

" yes." he answered the boy. " you are Inuyasha." he observed with interest. Youkio could see the telltale markers of his heritage and was astounded at the similarities between him and his old friend.

" yeah, and what of it?" he asked annoyed. The boy was guarded. Looking at him with somewhat irritation that was only mirrored in the eyes of his older brother when he walked in behind him.

" lord, Sesshomaru. I am Hatchi. And I must say it is an honor to meet you. I am just so impressed by your work here in the villages and the fight you brought to that bastard Satori…." the raccoon demon babbled as the much taller demon walked by without even so much as a second glance.

" jakken. You are home." Sesshomaru observed s the kappa bowed in front of him.

" I am my lord and I must report the treachery of the demons you've helped. They mean to persuade the priestess into fighting for them, thus giving you no choice but to fight too." jakken said daring not to glance at the stoic demon he had chosen to follow.

" they are-" Sesshomaru trailed off and tried to suppress the fire in his belly. He was through with people using Kagome against him. He looked around his small clearing and thought for the first time that he needed a barrier around his land, the scent markers were effective to the inu tribesman, but for the less scent based cultures it meant nothing.

He strode into his hut and looked at Youkio who had goaded Kagome into making tea and hosting a small meal for him and the boy. Inuyasha watched the neko demon with interest, listening to the stories he brought and tried not to look too excited when Kagome added her own perspective. " Youkio. Enough of this charade. Tell me what you have come for." Sesshomaru interrupted their conversation and earned the attention of both.

Sesshomaru knelt next to Kagome, settling protectively between Kagome and Youkio.

" the toad told you what the tribal leaders asked us to do. I won't do it. If you want to fight than it is up to you." Youkio said. He saw the flicker of consideration cross Sesshomaru's face and his friend began to settle down. There was anger imbedded in his eyes that he did not recognize.

" then you have made a wise decision. I will not be made a fool of twice. If you are not here to persuade me to go to war, what are you here for?"

" you're not going to like it. But I have an idea about your situation. You see as I was researching the ruins of an ancient temple I found some scrolls that documented war between the kami. One of them is described just like the one that is helping Satori. In the scroll there was a hero that nearly defeated him, but he was wounded gravely and died before he could make the final blow." Youkio gushed. He grabbed the teacup in front of him and drank the entire contents.

" what are you suggesting that we go to these ruins?" Sesshomaru asked.

" Youkio are you saying there is a way to kill him?" Kagome asked after, she was nearly trembling with the idea of confronting Roku. She remembered the feel of his sadistic power all over her and shivered. She needed to stand up and went to the large window that opened outward. A gentle breeze rolled into the room and she felt her lungs expand and oxygen fill her body.

" im saying that we have a chance. Lord Sesshomaru I need you and Kagome. Kagome you have the power to remove the artifact from the alter. This might be the chance to be rid of him-"

" absolutely not." Sesshomaru snapped feeling a tidal wave of possessiveness over his mate. She looked at him understanding his thoughts when Youkio piped up.

" you would be the one protecting her, as well as myself and Hatchi. We would not allow anything to harm Kagome-"

" i'm pregnant." she explained and earned shocked gasps from both Youkio and Inuyasha, who had smelled something different about her but was unable to identify the scent.

" congratulations- damn." Youkio cursed and looked at his friend. " i'm really happy for you." he added trying to squash the bitterness in his tone.

" I will help." Violet appeared beside him, she looked as if she had been through war and Sesshomaru noted her distance when she entered their realm.

" what will you do?" Sesshomaru challenged her.

" I will give you what you want Sesshomaru. Roku has to be stopped. There is war breaking out at every village and tribe among this land at his bidding. Sesshomaru you are my strongest warrior, I need you and i'm willing to do what you want."

"Then release me!" he growled and Violet nodded.

" you know why I cannot take back the sword but if you do this, then I will lift the curse and never interfere with your life again. He must be stopped." she went on.

" why should i?" Sesshomaru growled. " my mate is pregnant, you know what that means for my people. She is to be protected until the pup is born. I will not compromise the lives of either my child or my woman" he stated. Kagome looked at him surprised.

"He killed my family. He killed my father and banished my mother. I am alone because of him. Please help me!" Violet cried. When her lip trembled the entire world began to tremble beneath them. Sesshomaru growled.

Kagome gasped. " how come you never said anything. You've been with us for almost eight years! The demons he's been controlling have come for us, trapped us and tortured us and yet this information wasn't important enough to tell us. What are we fight for? Your dungeon or your vengeance?" she started feeling the bitterness of the years of false information.

Violet sighed and looked at the demons. "both." she admitted.

" how can you judge another for taking vengeance then?" Shippo came into the hut angry. He had been a prisoner of Violets for decades because of the same anger, only to find out that they shared motivation.

" you were trying to kill an entire village Shippo! I only want Roku stopped. I can't do it on my own, he is more powerful than I am, you are the only one who has the strength to overcome his power. You don't understand, but the same thing that makes Roku want to possess you is why you are so dangerous to him. You can defeat him. With the power that you have earned with my artifact." she pressed.

Youkio could see the desperation in Violet's eyes and began to try to defend her. " we need to stop Satori so that our families can be safe. I have children to think about as well. What is your guarantee to us that you will not curse us if we do something you don't like." Youkio played the intermediary.

" I will guarantee the safety of your daughter." she promised and Sesshomaru paused.

" daughter. The child is a girl? How do you know?" he asked and she looked at him like he was daft.

" I know her." she said shrugging.

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru with tears brimming in her eyes.

Inuyasha felt a strange kind of anxiety as they talked about Kagome's child. He was feeling jealous. Shafted of the concern that his brother had for a child that was not even born yet. " what about me?" he asked.

All eyes turned to him.

 **AN: thank you all for the reads and reviews, as i mentioned at the beginning to this story and at the summary this story is under construction, so the content and chapters are subject to change without notice. lol i have split a chapter in half an made it into two better flowing chapters, which it why**

 **this chapter has been moved forward, thank you all for your patience,**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai, out**


	35. demons

Inuyasha looked up at his brother who was looking at him as though he had just shouted a curse word. "what about me?" he repeated. Kagome was at a loss for words, he looked from the cat demon to his brother and Kagome.

" what about you?" Sesshomaru asked irritated.

" you won't want me any more!" he stood and balled his fists. He had noticed the way they had been looking at each other, since her smell had changed she was constantly being guarded and him pushed aside by his brother.

" that's not true Inuyasha. I love you." Kagome said trying to calm him down. " this won't change anything." she said looking at the fear that was written clearly on his face.

" but-" he started feeling tears well up in his eyes.

" enough Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru growled tired of watching him make a scene. Inuyasha saw the warning in his brother's eyes and sat back down. He turned his eyes from the pair and though Kagome began to move towards him he did not look up.

Kagome felt her heart tighten as she read the sadness in Inuyasha's posture. He did not resume his tantrum but everyone in the room could feel his simmering emotions.

" the shrine you seek is difficult to find for mortals. First you must locate my servant mikata and have him write for you the incantation to cross realms." violet said turning her eyes from the young half demon.

Kagome looked up gasping, " you're saying that we have to leave this plane in order to get to the shrine?" Kagome asked hesitantly. She felt a wave of anxiety and saw Sesshomaru react to it

" i am not going to allow-" he started but Violet cut him off.

" that is where i come in, this medallion will assure that your child is not harmed, As far as the curse, i forgive you for dropping my holy relic- jerk-" she grumbled.

" excuse me?" he said offended. " you forgive me? I should be the one who gets the apology." he said making violent agitated.

" uh- thank you Violet...Your forgiveness means that he is no longer bound by the restraint from killing- am i right?" Kagome asked nervously. She had a flash of dark evil eyes watching her and had to shake the imege from her head. Violet looked at her misunderstanding the fear in her eyes.

" no, though i dont want my judge to go homicidal, he is no longer bound, so long as you help me to defeat roku." she added the condition and Sesshomaru growled. " once he is defeated you will be free" she promised and Sesshomaru settled down.

" the next step after you receive the incantation to open the way to the shrine, you must find the alter and remove all of the incense laid there for the guardian there. It will distract him and give you the opportunity to take the vessel off of the mantle and entrap him. It will not be an easy task. My father died trying to accomplish this feat. he was killed by the guardian and roku once they realized what he was going to do."

Youkio looked at her with somewhat disbelief and made an obvious observation. " won't rokus minions try to stop us, last i checked he had an entire army of various bird demons. How are we going to defeat an army and distract a guardien kami?" Youkio asked

Sesshomaru smirked, he liked these odds, with the restraint off of him he felt a freedom he hadn't felt in years. " I have a plan if we should come accross them, for now we go on as if they know nothing and we attempt to kill their guardian kami before they can strike." Sesshomaru took control of this situation and felt confident in his ability. To win back his own freedome

Violet looked at Sesshomaru reading his mind and smiled seeing the style of warfare that he had hone for over a century comming out " i have in idea concerning the two boys" Violet turned to Inuyasha and stretched out her hand. " have you ever met another half demon?" she asked.

Sesshomaru began to pack up the things they needed for their trip. Kagome was nervous, he could see her nervous fidgeting and was at a loss for what to do. She had tried to calm Inuyasha down after the guardian kami had gone away, but he would barely hear her.

Inuyasha didn't know how to feel as he watched Kagome bring her hand to her womb again, trying to feel any hint of the child that she still wasn't sure was there. He growled and earned a sharp glare from his brother. His look was clear and meant for him to quiet his crying. He turned his eyes before the anger toutched them.

" Inuyasha." Kagome said to him as she heard his small growl.

He looked up at her guiltily and she beckoned him to her. Kagome dropped to her knees and put her arms around him, squeezing him to her chest and feeling him trembling in her arms. He was trying to hold back the tears, but seeing them in her eyes too he began to weep. " mother, i don't want to leave." he cried.

" leave? Who told you you were leaving?" she asked and turned her eyes to Sesshomaru. He shook his head irritated that she would consider him first.

" no one...but i dont want to be away from you again, i love you ill be good still, and trsin hard to protect you" he sniffed and Kagome gasped.

" i love you, i've loved you since the day you were born and i would not be rid of you even if you wanted to leave. You are my son, my first child and nothing will change that." she promised him, wiping his eyes and then her own. " this won't change anything, i promise."

Inuyasha flung his arms around Kagome and held on to her for as long as he could before she pulled away from him. " violet said shippo and i are going with her while your away." he said nervously.

" we will be back for you as soon as we are home again." she promised.

Youkio sat outside looking at the stars and basking in the quiet ambience of the forest. It had been months since he had felt so relaxed. He looked up and saw a small charm hanging from the roof and smiled to see a calming spell weaved into it. " that woman thinks of everything. I bet that cuts down on the fighting." he snorted.

" no, but it does help with sleeping." Shippo yawned and came to sit next to Youkio. " i saw your brother a few weeks ago, he was being a real ass." Shippo commented.

" you have no idea of the trouble he's caused. This is partly his fault to begin with, he's always touching things he shouldn't, releasing dark kami, evil spirits, monstrous demons, everything he does unleashes some kind of evil into the world." Youkio complained.

" is he evil?" Shippo asked. " he said that the sword wouldn't work on him if he tried it." Shippo recalled.

" is he evil, no, but he is foolish and is drawn to chaos like flies to a carcass." Youkio added snorting and making Shippo smile.

" he picked a fight with lord Sesshomaru he threatened to steal from him. With Kagome pregnant he would do well to stay far away from us." Shippo pointed over his shoulder and Youkio nodded.

" i could not agree more, you know he and i are twins- but i've never understood why he does what he does. Father is so proud of him, and yet i'm the one who has tried hard to raise my family right, Ren doesn't even have a mate, no one can stand to be around him." Youkio added.

There was a commotion as they were talking and Shippo stood to go to the treeline and looked out at the raccoon demon squatting behind a tree. " excuse me!" Hatchi scolded him and waved his fist.

" wow what are you still doing here?" Shippo asked snickering.

" i am waiting here for lord Sesshomaru. I am fighting at his side too." Hatchi put his hands on his hips and struck a heroic pose.

" pssh- you're a coward, raccoon." shippo grunted

" i don't need another weak demon to take care of." Sesshomaru commented coming out of the hut. He had his armour strapped to his body and his robed were back to the generals garb he had worn in his days at the inu tribe. Youkio looked at him and saw the warrior he had met almost eight years ago. He flashed a fang and smirked.

" you look like an ancient warlord." Youkio commented.

" i should." Sesshomaru responded.

Kagome watched the demons from the doorway of her home, turning back she looked at the shelves that housed her work material and drying racks for her herbs and shook her head. She felt wrong, bringing her hand to her chest Kagome felt a raging in her aura that weakened her knees and she nearly dropped to the ground. Anger lit through her, hatred, like she had never experienced and she clenched her fists. As she caught herself on the wall.

She closed her eyes and saw nothing but the inside of that cage and began to panick. " damn you satori." she cured and envisioned herself strangling the life from his smug eyes. She could almost feel the black eyes trailing her. And then she was engulfed in fear.

Kagome felt her eyes begin to go dark and she felt as if a thousand demons were tearing at her heart. Falling to the ground Kagome blacked out.

" mother?" Inuyasha said alarmed at seeing her fall to the ground. Kagome picked herself up and growled uncharacteristically before she began throwing things from the shelves and wrecking the inside of the hut in rage. He sensed something terribly wrong and ran out to his brother to summon him back. "brother you have to help her." he begged pulling his brothers sleeve.

Sesshomaru wrenched his arm away from his brother's grasp as he heard what he said and went to the hut with alarm. He had heard the crashing, but had brushed it aside as her normal clumsiness. When he saw Kagome rampaging he went to grab her arms to restrain her from hurting herself or destroying any more of her things, but his mate turned with eyes he did not recognize and zapped him with her power. He gripped her tightly and growled trying to suppress her aura with his own through the sting of her magic. She was incredible, would have purified a weaker demon but he powered through her onslaught untill she passed out from exaustion.

Inuyasha and shippo watched from the door as Sesshomaru tried to calm her down, kagome flailed and fought, still trying to destroy everything she touched when in a moment of absolute chaos, she dropped and fell against him.

Sesshomaru panted as he gripped Kagome to him. Dropping his nose to her shoulder, he sented the demonic energy on her and growled. " she's been possessed." he growled and picked her up. " she's hurt herself as well." he breathed and stood.

Youkio went to Sesshomaru when he saw Kagome in his arms and gasped alarmed at her unconscious state. " what happened, we were only outside for a few minutes?" he asked concerned.

" she's been possessed." Violet appeared behind him. Her voice was worried and she reached into her pocket to withdraw a mirror that she used to watch the realm. " i can't see her." she said showing him the vision of himself holding air.

Sesshomaru began to panic as Violet put her item away and he demanded she fix this. " this is your fault-" he started and she shook her head."

" its them, its the demons you loosed. They are trying to consume her like they have tried to consume you-" she said quietly and Sesshomaru turned and began to walk down to the village. " where are you going?" she asked and Sesshomaru growled.

" she needs a healer." he said and leapt forward to the path to the village and began to run. He passed the huts in the village without stopping, he felt Inuyasha at his heels and ignored him until they got to the door of the healer's shop. Inuyasha and shippo banged on the door with both fists and they waited for Jin to answer them.

" what on earth?" the old man asked as he looked up at the demon. He noticed Kagome in his arms and rushed into action. " hurry bring her over here." he motioned for Sesshomaru to come in. "you, could you fetch some water from the well at the end of the street?" he asked Inuyasha and he nodded before hurrying out the door with shippo behind him.

Kagome moaned when they laid her back onto the mat, jin sat over her and checked her over for signs of broken limbs and found her ribs to be broken on one side. " what on earth happened?" he asked

" she's been possessed." he said solemnly.

" but she's our priestess! Who will help us now?" he wondered and Sesshomaru looked up as the boys came through the door.

"Kikyou" Sesshomaru muttered and went to stand up. Kagome reached for him and began to thrash as Inuyasha re entered the chamber. Jin tried to restrain her as she started to kick and ended up going flying as Sesshomaru pushed him out of the way and grasped her to him. She cried out in rage and Sesshomaru growled a warning to her. " Inuyasha, i need you to do something important." he breathed.

Inuyasha perked up as he heard the desperation in his brother's voice, he nodded wanting to prove himself in his brother's eyes, willing to do anything to ensure his place in the pack. " brother, what is it?" he asked

" you two must go to kikyou and get her back here, Kagome needs her." he said holding on to Kagome.

Inuyasha gasped at the monumental task. " you want us to go? Alone?" he asked and Sesshomaru growled. Shippo pulled inuyasha's seave trying to get him to move into action.

" do it, you remember the scent of the shrine, go there with Hatchi and retrieve kikyou. I need you to do this." he said urging the boys to do as was instructed. Inuyasha nodded swallowing down the fear and took one last look at his mother before turning and fleeing from the village.

Their feet carried him up the mountain to the clearing of his home and they ran shouting as he neared the other demons. Violet was there speaking with Jakken and Youkio very seriously as they ran up.

" there isn't much time before her life is forfeited, its roku, he's done this because i lifted that curse too soon," she said shaking her head.

" can't you just re do it?" Jakken asked alarmed. " you don't know what this will do to my lord to have the woman in this state." he lectured her and Violet noddd.

" yes i do." she said and looked up sa Inuyasha skidded to a stop. " Inuyasha, you have taken this task, it is now up to you to retrieve the other priestess, but what happens from now is no ones fault but my own." she said and turned to recollect herself.

Inuyasha shook his head. " We need to find kikyou. Where is Hatchi?" he yelled not wanting to hear anything else.

The raccoon demon peeked out from behind a tree and was trembling as Inuyasha marched over to him. " take us to the east to a shrine where my family is." he demanded and the raccoon demon stuttered through an excuse to go home.

Youkio walked up to Hatchi and punched him on top of the head. " stop whining, you saw that Kagome needs you." Youkio challenged him.

" oh you need to help lady Kagome? Why didn't you say something. Oh Youkio good luck with the kami i was completely going to go anyway but seeing as master Inuyasha needs a lift, i'm going." he chuckled and transformed.

Inuyasha looked behind him as the raccoon demon flew. It was the first time he was going to do something like this by himself. He recalled the shrine and the disapproving glares and shook the image from his head. " mother needs me. I have to go." he breathed.

" you don't have to, is there anywhere else that you want to go?" Hatchi asked trying to talk him into going somewhere else. Inuyasha gasped and punched the demon hard on top of the head. Shippo began punching and kicking him as well

" if you even think about turning around i will put out your eye." he threatened and Hatchi began to sweat.

" i'll tell lord sesshomaru!" shippo threatened

" it was a joke of course." he backpedaled

Inuyasha was keen to keep his nose to the east after the raccoon's joke, he could scent the trail they had used to journey there before and when the shrine came into view he demanded that Hatchi fly into the center of the women that were now gathered to greet them.

Kikyou watched the demon approached with apprehension, demons rarely ventured so close to their grounds, and never flew directly above. When Inuyasha jumped off the back of a transformed demon she called off the priestesses and ran to greet him.

" Inuyasha?" she wondered aloud. Seeing shippo jump off after she was even more alarmed

" mother needs you." he cried and looked up at the woman who stared down at him with his mother's face. Kikyou took him into her arms and he gasped. " your pregnant?" he asked and kikyou blushed.

Just as Shippo touched the ground Hatchi cried out in alarm and fled into the distance. " come back!" Shippo yelled. Inuyasha groaned.

Within his work room, Mikata pulled his power into the clay he was moulding. He pulled and pinched it into the shape he needed and was so absorbed in his latest masterpiece he did not look back when the door opened behind him.

"my lord, your tea." he heard an unfamiliar man's voice behind d him and turned in a hurry. "Shiori, what's happened! He called alarmed

He turned and looked up into eyes that were as black as coal and he froze in Terror. "how did you get in? I have a barrier that is supposed to keep your evil off of my land." he breathed. Mikata raised his hands and began to chant.

"your servant was most useful, her heart is easily swayed," Roku laughed and stepped back to show him the broken form of his long time servant and friend, she stumbled forward with an uncharacteristic snarl and he could see possession in her eyes.

Roku snapped his fingers and drew her forward. " give me what I want. Try to resist me and I'll will see my vengeance on your grand children's children." Roku threatened.

Mikata looked into his servant's eyes. "shiori, I am sorry I did not prepare you for this day." he said to the young woman. " this war, you started, I cannot let you win, the demons in this world cannot slow you to win, so I cannot give you the way in." he said strongly and began to chant a spell to bring shiori back to herself.

He felt the darkness from the death of her family and the anger she had been harboring towards the bandits that had killed them and could not blame her. " satori come back, don't give into his will, you are so much stronger than that.". Mikata urged her.

Shiori's eyes flickered and Roku chuckled and clenched his fist making her writhe in agony and stumble forward with her and outstretched. " Shiori, take this dagger, it's quite useful." he smiled.

 **AN: Thank you for staying with me and reading my latest update! I am so excited to get this one to you and I hope that you all enjoy. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**

 **thank you all!**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai out**


	36. Through the gate

Mikata grabbed his side with a grunt of pain. Shiori lunged for him, fighting under the control of the dark kami and with amplified pain and rage, she plunged the dagger into his side. " i forgive you." he said coughing. Once the dagger was plunged into the soft tissue of his side the possession left her eyes and shiori screamed. She was horrified, crying and trying to tend his wound as his precious lifeblood spilled onto the ground.

Roku laughed he laughed with the strength that shook the ground under them.

Inuyasha looked into the sky with disbelief and felt his heart sink. "We have to go now!" he yelled. Fury made his fists clench as he turned to his aunt and, with determination he reached for her wrist to pull her from the shrine.

He saw kikyou begin to panic as inuyasha drug her across the law toward the exit. Finally getting her bearings she dug her heels into the ground and made him stop. "Inuyasha i need my things." she scolded him.

His ears flattened to his head and for what felt like a century watched kikyou get her things for ravel. Thankfully she packed light and within the hour she and the two boys had set off towards home on horseback.

In the village at the base of the mountain sesshomaru watched helplessly as kagome seized and cried out in feaver. He had tried holding her hand but in the state she was in she barely recognized him and at his touch recoiled from him. "She isn't herself, lord Sesshomaru, she is delirious with fever." Jin tried to calm the rage that began so make his hair stand on edge.

Sesshomaru was silent, he observed her trembling and knew the familiar burn in his heart. Hatred was a feeling that he was well acquainted with, it was a beast inside him that drove him into a blind rage that lead to more destruction than he cared to revisit.

Sesshomaru heard the approach of the demons as they neared the city, they entered though the villagers were fearful of them and walked straight into the midst of the healers place where he sat with kagome. He closed his eyes and growled in irritation.

"Lord Sesshomaru we must see this through to the end." Yukio urged him to get up. The stoic Lord held himself protectively between him and Kagome and refused to acknowledge that he had spoken at all.

" we need her." He growled menacingly. Youkio looked toward the horizon, where the priestess would arrive from and knew they were still very far away. He turned to leave.

"I will go after inuyasha to see what is keeping him." Youkio said knowing that it would be the only way Sesshomaru will continue there quest. Striking from the small hut in the center of the he village, he transformed and took to the sky in demon form. Scenting for their approach he, found them still so far away he wasn't sure if they'd left the shrine yet.

Miles passed in a blur of forest beneath him, still no sign of the racoon demon transporting them. Youkio growled frustrated with the lesser demon when he caught sight of a flash of red in the trees below coming toward him.

Focusing in on that flash of red he saw the most ridiculous sight and landed in front of the young half demon. A woman remarkably like kagome clung to his back, while the eight year old demon, still small for his age riding a horse in front of the lady priestess. Behind him, a demon Hunter rode pursuing him driving his horse forward with abandon.

"Youkio! Get out of the way!" Inuyasha shouted not stopping his breakneck pace as he landed in front of them. Youkio realized what happened in an instant and looked for Shippo. He was on the back of the horse, clinging to the demon hunter.

"Hatchi abandoned you?" He asked angrily. Inuyasha growled, nodding to the Neko demon. Youkio stopped inuyasha. "I will bring her the rest of the way. Kagome is in need this moment. Will you follow and meet us on the mountain at sundown?" Youkio asked inuyasha nodded.

Hiko pulled up beside them with his horse and grabbed inuyasha, pulling him up. "Demon, I will take them to Lord Sesshomaru's lair." Youkio looked at Kikyou, who had been silent up until now.

"Take me to my sister!" She demanded. Youkio smiled as he launched into the air with her in his arms.

Hiko rode hard as he neared the mountain. Trees passed in a blur and both boys were still and silent as he made way. Not having seen the coward demon he wasn't able to hunt the lowlife down for abandoning such an important quest. "Inuyasha what is the name of the demon that brought you to the shrine?" He asked.

Shippo and he answered simultaneously. "Hatchi."

Hiko made sure to remember this name. Vengeance in his heart he could not stand idle as a subordinate abandoned his duty. Not when the task was so grave.

At the village, jakken stayed by Sesshomaru's side. Not daring to make a sound or distract his Lord's gaze from Kagome's still face. Jakkens stoic master reach to her face and caressed the line of her cheek with such gentleness that his heart ached for him. In all this time Kagome had not been so far away then at that moment.

Two hours passed before youkio brought Kikyou to him. Landing close to the gate of the city, Youkio went with her quickly to the healer's hut. The aging man opened the door for them with a grave face and ushered them in. " Kikyou, it's been too long." He muttered greeting his former student. She nodded smiling weakly before going to where Kagome was.

" I wish it were in better terms sensei. " She said before e the breath left her. Rushing to her side she nearly Fainted when Sesshomaru roared fiercely at her fast approach.

"Stop, for kami's sake this is my sister's life!" She rebuked the demon Lord.

Forcing his anger down he watched with chest heaving as Kikyou began to check her over. Frowning she looked at him gravely. "She is possessed by thousands of demons. How did this happen." her brows came together with accusation. She snarled when he didn't even meet her gaze. His normally stoic face twisted for just a moment with regret as she spoke. "What did you do?"

"I did not do this!" He shouted. Kagome cried out when he roared in a manner that struck sesshomaru as entirely demonic. Taking a breath he looked square on at Kikyou and summoned all of the discipline he possessed not to strangle her. "What can you do?" He asked simply.

Kikyou shook her head at him but began to examine kagome, after a moment she bowed to pray over her. The chant raised the hairs on the back Sesshomaru's neck. He had to stop himself from backing away when she began to grow in power and summoned it for Kagome's healing. Wondering when she had gotten so powerful he was amazed when the aura of his love began to show. Swirling multicolored essence swirled within her normally light pink energy, he could you see it clearly as he'd never done before.

Sitting on edge Sesshomaru observed as Kikyou meditated over Kagome. There was no movement from the priestess, neither her nor kagome even breathed as her head was bowed, until finally she broke her concentration.

While linked, Kagome's clawed toward the connection she had with her twin. Kikyou saw her current state with horror. Thousands of demon spirits clamoured within her soul. Grabbing onto Kagome's energy she was able to strengthen her with her energy reserves. Kagome was only slightly aware of her presence, but responded, taking back some of her consciousness. When Kikyou broke off her meditation she leaned forward to brush back the long strands of hair that had fallen over her face.

"There is nothing I can do I do not have enough power to bring her back." Kikyou looked down at her sister sadly. What ever she had gotten into Kikyou was sure it had been envolved with these demons. Her eyes found Sesshomaru with irritation. She had wanted better for her sister than this, Kagome was ostracized from their people, vulnerable to their demonic energy, and then there was Sesshomaru, who vexed kikyou to no end. "Tell me what is going on here. Why is Kagome like this?" She demanded.

Sesshomaru sighed, exasperated already by the woman who had irritated him for so long. Looking at her he could see the passage of time on her features. Her face was more mature, defined with the pressures of her position at the shrine. Her mouth set in a thin line that seemed to Sesshomaru as if she was used to pursing her lips in that manner.

"The demon that kidnaped her from the shrine has made her vulnerable to this possession. I need her power to defeat him." He said shortly. He hated to explain himself to her. She laughed joked at him as if he had intended to use Kagome for his own power, it infuriated him.

"You are using her power now?" She asked. Sesshomaru growled and began to demand that she leave them. Kikyou anticipated this and sighed. "What can I do" she relented before he lost his temper too much.

Youkio stepped forward making himself seen as the situation unfolded. " we need you to go instead of kagome. She is too vulnerable, and we need a strong priestess."

Kikyou nodded, seeing that they were all serious she counted her options and knew that to save her sister she would do anything. " i will go" she answered. All eyes turned to Sesshomaru, he hovered over Kagome as if she hadn't spoken but he had heard.

" you must go now." Violet appeared beside sesshomaru. Her large violet eyes looked taxed and her face was sunken in with worry. "First go to mikatas mountain to the east. The way will be marked for you. Sesshomaru, to save her life you have to go now." She said.

For endless seconds sesshomaru didn't move, taking a few breaths he turned to violet and with every ounce of seriousness "protect her." He said before leaning to her lips and leaving a kiss there before standing and leaving the hut.

Outside the cool air assaulted Kikyou cheeks. Heavy hearted, she looked at the demons around her and was unsurprised when they lingered at the door. Sesshomaru was unrelenting once he got going. He set a pace that Youkio, who volunteered to carry her, had trouble keeping up with. Be nging her face to the back of you is neck she hid her face from the wind.

Sesshomaru left the hut behind but carried the ache in his chest with him. The swords weight was nothing to hi m physically but mentally it was causing his every muscle to protest its nearness. His mind was silent for the first time in days, he had only his thoughts to torture him as each moment took him further from her. Jakken peered up at him from the summoned cloud and Sesshomaru could see pity in the kappas eyes.

Heaving a breath of self loathing, Sesshomaru righted his stoic mask and chastised himself for his lack of control. He had no time to explore the depths of his self loathing when the completion of his mission would solve his problems.

Turning his head to his most familiar companion, aside from Kagome and Jakken, he called to Youkio keep up with him. Wind whipped Sesshomaru's hair into his face, the visibility decreased, he knew right where his destination was. The scent of the kamis power was everywhere among the villages in the countryside, but there was a particular evil that plagued the far shrine at the base of a monolith. Landing at the edge of the property, he stepped onto the ground and strode into the gate of the small complex.

Far to the west, Inuyasha jumped off of the back of the horse and began to run into his hut, the doors were thrown wide from their rushed departure, but as his brother was among the most fierce creatures in the wood, no creature had dared to enter while they were away.

Haku remained outside, tying the horses to a nearby tree and giving them enough lead to graze while they rested. His rage was boiling towards the demon that had left Inuyasha mid quest. Bringing his knife from his pocket he made sure to give them adequate protection. Pulling the thin blade from its sheath he handed it to the brazen youth that stood sure of himself in the doorway.

"Inuyasha there is something I need to do. I will return to you in three days." He said calmly. Inuyasha smelled the taint of a grudge in his scent and knew what he was planning.

"Hatchi was his name." He reminded him and then shut the door. Shippo took a protective stance and began to reassure inuyasha that he would be okay. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

" I already know that." He replied.

Night began to fall as Sesshomaru walked through the gate of the old shrine. His boots barely touched the gravel walkway when the wind shifted and the smell of blood was brought to his nose.

Pace quickening he raced to the origin of the scent and came upon the sight of a young shrine maiden tending to the serious wound of the man that was apparently the head of the shrine.

"We are here at Violet's request." He said startling the girl and getting her attention. Large fearful eyes turned to him and he was struck with the haunted look she possessed.

" I killed him. The gatekeeper, I killed him." She began to sob.

Kikyou stumbled into the room and immediately went to the injured old man. Putting pressure on his wound, kikyou began to chant.

The old man's hand reached out and stopped her. " No, you will need your energy. Shiori, you must aid me in my last duty." He breathed with a gravely voice. Kikyou began to protest when the girl moved towards him and took his hand. " Go, for all of us, you must go, now." When he was done a swirling grey mist appeared suspended in a perfect gate.

Sesshomaru did not wait before passing through the gate. In one moment he was floating through the astral plane. One by one Youkio and Kikyou followed him. Jakken was the last through and as soon as he was through he sprung forward after his master and clung to his leg.

Floating with little knowledge of their direction sesshomaru felt as if he were being drawn and went forward until his feet touched down on a hard surface. The sword at his side thrummed with energy, coming to life once more. They were inside of a shrine that had no visible walls and no building close enough to see.

Youkio walked just behind Sesshomaru, on the ready for any kind of attack. The grounds they walked through gave no indication of the passage of any distance, every step taken was just as the one before and the one after. Getting irritated Sesshomaru broke into a run that took him nowhere.

"Why aren't we moving?" He demanded.

Kikyou was looking around with terror and awe. She summoned all her knowledge on the spirit realm and began to prey. Beside her a Sprite appeared out of the abyss. " Where is the shrine?" She asked.

With a wide toothy grin the evil looking green child made no move to answer her only pointed to the way that they came.

" Tell me where the altar is!" She nearly screamed. Sesshomaru said stopped his nowhere motion and turned to grab the Sprite.

Dodging vicious claws he laughed and danced around the two. " The altar is far and close, your desire is what means the most." He answered and then vanished from their sight.

"I still have one more question!" She yelled but the Sprite was gone. "...Our desire means the most?" She asked aloud.

Youkio flicked his tale at the dark eyed priestess. "We have to want to get to the altar, it's obvious." He shrugged.

Sesshomaru growled but before he could move Jakken hit him in the head with his staff. "Baka! We are running towards it, we all want to get there,but what does he mean that it's both near and far?" Jakken pondered.

Standing idle for a while Sesshomaru mulled over the answer. They had been moving since landing on the shrine grounds. They obviously want to get there but why wouldn't the alter appear?

While they pondered the screech of an eagle pierced the silence of the plane. Looking up, a hundred demons flew at them with rage and battle cries. Kikyou screamed.

Bringing power to her hands she created a small barrier around them. Sesshomaru stepped out of it. Youkio assured her that she would be okay before stepping out, but he too met the flock head on.

Drawing his sword felt like ripping apart a mountain but once gripped in his skilled hand was inescapable. Tearing the demons from the abyss he laid their carcasses on the ground beside him.

Youkio, with great agility launched into the abyss to meet them. With claws forward he met them in a volley of strikes. Feathers flew through the atmosphere as Youkio tore through one after another.

Standing his ground he assessed most of them to be mid level to lesser demons and with sword drawn exploded in a massive strike that reduced most of them to dust. Kikyou let the barrier drop when sesshomaru killed most of the demons. With her power she targeted the flying creatures.

In moments the demons were gone, leaving them in the empty courtyard with scattered bodies all-around them. Kikyou began to pray for their spirits relies when Sesshomaru stopped her. " This is the wrong place for that." He said and motioned for her to follow her m as they walked.

Leaving the scattered remains of the demons behind them, the group began to notice the building at the edge of their mission, even Sesshomaru as he focused could not enhance the image f the small buildings. Stopping to consider their position sesshomaru made an abrupt turn and began to walk in another direction.

Still the building were no closer. He began to run again, feeling time passing as if ultra slowed, Sesshomaru began again to push himself toward the altar. He imagined the stone platform and the kami looking down at it, greedily waiting for their sacrifice. It must have been an altar of pure evil intention to house an evil spirit as Roku.

Kikyou gasped as the scene around them warped into the nerve garden of the shrine. The building grew closer warping to clear the distance. The image nearly made her retch but she did not stop running. Jakken was winded beside her and stopped suddenly.

Staying at their heels by a trick of light Kikyou groaned and stopped herself. " We are not moving anywhere." She said falling into the sam trick of light that jakken was trapped in. The rest ceased their running and looked around.

"Then why are we closer to the shrine?" Youkio pointed to the building that looked as if they could walk up and touch one.

"I don't know." She said and then in a Huff re summoned the Sprite. "Tell me how to get into the shrine." She said bringing power to her fingertips.

"my my ,You've come so far, but you'll never get there as you are….." he winced when She began to move towards hm. " Wish it, want it, will it so. I cannot be clearer, so you know." He said and n a poof disappeared.

" That was helpful" Youkio said sarcastically sitting down for a rest he watched as Sesshomaru began to pace.

He wanted to see the shrine, to get his hands around that kamis throat and rip it from his body, he wanted his revenge. For him the vessel of that relief was on the altar they sought. "I want to see the altar." He said aloud. The Sprite appeared next to him.

" Do you really want to see it. Bring it to you." He whispered close to Sesshomaru's pointed ear.

Thinking carefully he closed his eyes to scent for the smell of incense. Searching he located all of the scents familiar to him from kagome's work. There was food laid on the table, and the scent of woven linens performed and all likelihood folded carefully and displayed around the alter.

He imagined the space and with amazement he felt the distance between them as it was something tired on a rope and he, taking that energy in hand really can't uld pull it to him. Opening his eyes he saw only the outside of the shrine and garden around them. Kikyou was beginning to get agitated with the lack of movement, so he was glad to stall a while longer.

Testing this notion Sesshomaru reached forward with his hands and touched the edge of the area they were trapped inside. A glimmering trick of light made the image of the shrine ripple. " I know what this is." He said with just the hint of laughter in his voice. By no means did he think it was funny, but the ease in which he had been tracked had made him slightly nervous.

With his mind he reached out through the realm and grabbed a hold of the room. Bringing it to them made his veteran heart race as he passed through all of the realms within the spirit realm before closing the distance between them and the alter.

Youkio and Jakken both spoke at once about the brilliance of their leader. Kikyou was not impressed but she was struck dumb at the sight of the alter. Blood was dried on the surface of the stone and every fiber of her being was telling her to leave.

Sesshomaru strode towards the altar and with an arrogant smirk laid his hands down on it to remove the first incense. At once he was paralyzed with burning pain and had to be pulled back from the stone by Youkio. Jakken moved forward with the same intention when Kikyou stopped him with a hurried explanation.

"None of you demons touch this alter. It's aura is completely composed of the souls of powerful demons, if you do touch it, the altar will absorb you into rokus power." She said looking at the inscriptions along the edge. She had studied the ancient magics to prepare herself for the role of leader at her shrine.

Reaching out herself she grasped the holder for the first incense, which preceded the others in proximity. They were encircling an artifact of pure gold. It was a battle horn made for a high general of ancient status. Kikyou was almost tempted to touch it herself when the room began to shake. The first incense once removed extinguished as part of the room, turning the east wall into the vision of darkness.

Not hesitating once she started, Kikyou began to chant a purifying spell as she grasped the second incense holder. It too dissipated part of the room with it's disappearance from the alter. With the wall gave way to the starry abyss Kikyou felt the alter quaking beneath her hands.

At once a guardian demon burst from the statue overlooking the altar, launching at Sesshomaru with hatred apparent. Kikyou grasped the third incense holder and began to purifying it. This too brought down a layer of the room, exposing them to the darkness around them. When the fourth h of six incense holders were purified she was thrust back from the altar.

Roku burst into the plane in a fire blast. Standing atop the altar he looked down at the two remaining incense surrounding the horn and roared. "I know this trick Sesshomaru, and you will be no more successful than your predecessor." He barked a laugh and began a chant which magnified the power of his servant.

Sensing Roku at the alter Sesshomaru roared and lunged to grab the guardian with the intent to rip him apart. Seeing the gleam of amusement on the guardian's eyes he stopped short of his transformed arm. A spike where his hand had been pierced the air at this chest and drew a bead of green poison from his flesh.

Stepping to his inside Sesshomaru used the disciplined combat skills he'd mastered through his growing years and laid a clustered set f quick punches that nearly stopped that guardian in his tracks. Youkio lunged at hm from the side, ripping deep gashes into the guardian arm. Youkio grabbed hold of the underling wrapping things arms around his muscled neck. Fighting two powerful demons at once, the guardian began to lose his footing in the battle. Sesshomaru did not show mercy when he dissected him, he made sure that no amount of maiming that served as retribution for his own guilt resulted in his death.

Guardians blood was the dust of the abyss and as he began to bleed he faded into the black until he altogether disappeared. "Psemminy?" Roku demanded. The guardian could not answer due to the loss of energy and even with Roku feeding it to him, the guardian hemorrhaged faster than he could he revived. With a blast of energy that flattened every mortal the guardian was gone. Sesshomaru's eyes locked on to Roku.

At that very moment Kagome's form began to seize. Violet pressed that amulet to her breast and concentrated on her energy. Brows furrowing Violet looked around at Jin who had decided to keep his distance from her, for his own safety since he was prone to meddling in other people's business. He knew it was rude, but he just could not help himself, in most cases. By the look of the child kamis face, she would not welcome any meddling.

Violet raised her hand to make a circle of energy and with her actions word revealed the battle that took place in the astral plane. She frowned when the guardian disappeared, she had known him several centuries as rokus strength. With pride she saw her warrior meet him as a superior in battle.

"Himiko, when you see this you will finally see that he'd do anything for her." Violet muttered to herself.

When the guardian was defeated Roku stepped down from the altar himself to face his enemy. "You will never defeat me, we will be locked here in battle until you're a wizened old dog too frail to lift your arm." Roku taunted. " Then again I may just kill you like I did your father. Ryukotsu was my creation after all." He mused a he sauntered over as if not worried at all.

Already the battle was so different than when he faced her father centuries before. Violet saw the nervousness in his carefree gate. He only did that when he was nervous. The moment he left the altar kikyou flew back to it, the with incense was in her hand when Roku turned and roared at her to stop.

Kikyou glared at him defiantly and purified it with the energy she had been building. The other only needed to be touched to take the taint of evil from it. The battle hurn was all that was left but when she reached for it she was thrown back with force.

Violet cursed.

Kagome writhed as Violet's worry began to manifest her dungeon around them. She was being suffocated with the power inside and around her. Thoughts that weren't her own bombarded her mind along with fears and hatreds that she had never before fathomed. Wanting to be freed she tried once more to purifying her body of the demons. Pain, sadness hit her hard, there was an energy inside of her that kept her from cleansing the demonic aura.

As violet saw Kagome's attempt she pressed the amulet closer to her chest. I'm printing the etched carving into her soft skin. " You cannot do that, you will hurt her before she is strong enough to take it." Violet urged her to lay back. The small kamis thoughts raced for a solution to their problem. Kagome was needed if they were going to win the battle, kikyou was skilled but it was kagome that had tamed demons upon demons through her life, to violet she was important for the ending of this epic.

Pulling out a list of items she possessed or had confiscated she thumbed through until she came to an especially evil relic she had hidden away from time. Sighing she told herself that there was no choice and with that She summoned Nisha.

Her winged guardian was still injured from the fight with Roku, but dutifully he bowed and awaited her direction. Hearing her request he fleet the breath leave his body. " If you use that…." He started but violet raised her hand and stopped him.

"Get it. " She said shortly.

He was gone for only a moment before reappearing with the thing of Violet's nightmares. She cringed when he held it out to her and she took it.

The small pink Jewel glowed in her hand it's swirling inside deceived the onlooker making in think about the spiritual energy associated with it. Violet knew better. With dread violet touched the jewel down on her forehead. Her body seized again phasing with the energy of the jewel. From her eyes the form of a demon began to emerge.

A great hulking demon boar emerged from her and looking around at the outside world once more ran through the village and onto the planes of the rolling hills below. Nisha made a move to recapture him when violet restrained him. " I need your help here we have to finish this."

There was a hundred thousand demons inside of her, the jewel released one at a time into the world. As demon after demon flead the village violet knew what that would mean for Japan, the demon population which had been greatly reduced was now alive with demons that had been sealed away for centuries.

Demons from the farthest reaches of time to the most current emerged during the hours spent. Kouga was among the last, Hakkaku and Ginta both after him. Kouga looked down at kagome and with obvious disappointment and he left her to go to his mountain above Violet's dungeon with his minions following after. The last were among the conquered by Sesshomaru and they did their best to wreak havoc as they fled but Nisha chased them down and the ones that he really hated were killed.

When all demonic life was extracted from Kagome's body she woke up. Disoriented and full of fear, she cried. Sobbing with her face hidden in her hands. Jin moved to comfort her but Kagome flinched away scurrying to her feet and backing out of the room. "Kagome, Sesshomaru needs you." Violet said breaking ng her from her trance.

"Where is he?" She asked.

Violet opened a portal to the abyss and with one swooping arm directed her in. "I will accompany you there." She said. Nisha moved to follow when Violet stopped him. "Check on inuyasha first, I'll meet you there." She directed and then closed the portal behind them.

In the abyss an hour passes as a minute, time is warped around need rather than linear succession and so as kagome stepped into the realm Sesshomaru was just meeting him head on in battle.

Kagome gasped at the sight of her enemy. Rage and fear intermingled and with hurried movements she went to where her dearest sister was being thrown back from the altar. " What have to destroy the item" kikyou panted as Kagome helped her up.

Kagome went to the altar with kikyou and began to reach for the horn. Kikyou gasped stopping her with a restraining hold. " No you can't touch it, it's too evil. I was thrown back by it." She said

" Together then, remember what father said." Kagome took her sisters hand and looked back at the horn. Nodding together the twins reached to the metallic surface of the horn and grasped it in hand. Beginning a chant that made both Sesshomaru and youkio double over in agony. Roku was frozen in place.

Hand in hand the golden horn shown. Twin faces peered at it with determination to destroy it and with every ounce of power they had, they began to purify it.

 **AN: id like to apologize for making you all wait so long. i have been working on my novel and have been caught up in the final drafting and publishing. i never forgot this and over the past year ive thought about comming back and seeing this through, and with my break ahead of me and my novel behind me ive found the opertunity to do so. i will upload the next and final chapter soon. stay tuned.**

 **-idreamofinuyoukai, out.**


	37. What I've become

Fighting the agony seizing every muscle in Sesshomaru's body he looked up to see an incredible blinding light come from the twin priestesses, in a moment everything that he thought he knew about the power of his mate and her sister was blown away with a tremendous explosion of energy. At his side,e Roku began to melt away, jakken clung to his leg clawing at the power that flowed through his body wringing agonized breathless cries from the ugly creature.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he grunted just before his webbed fingers lost hold of the fabric and he has swept away into the expanse around them.

Feeling the vortex of energy formed at Rokus body not far from him, he plunged his sword into the ground and held on with every ounce of strength he possessed. For what felt like an eternity he held on, bracing himself against a tidal wave of power when, as suddenly as it had flashed into existence the energy dwindled to nothing. Letting go of the hilt of his sword Sesshomaru stumbled forward, falling to his knees in the effort.

Breathing through the receding pain, Sesshomaru slowly came back to himself enough to remember that he, would never succumb to fatigue and fought back to his feet stubbornly. His eyes adjusted to the darkness through his headache, his temples were pounding. Eyes searching for his companions he found that youkio too had been swept away from the temple grounds, and was ever out of reach in the expanse around him like his servant, jakken.

"Kagome?" he called to where he saw Kikyo collapsed on the ground.

Kikyo turned to him suddenly, she was sobbing, the smell of tears streamed down her cheeks. "She's gone."

The breath left him. Chest heaving, he began to take another step forward when strength left his limbs and he caught himself on the cold hard floor. He smelled that she was gone. How did this happen? He asked himself. Where is she?

All around him the setting melted away into a haze of green and brown. Phasing into focus he knew that he had been transported back to his forest above the village. He could smell the familiarity of it as a gentle caress even as his form lay prostrate on the earth below. Fittingly he had landed not far from a pile of bones, face in the dirt and was glad that no one was nearby to witness his indignity.

There was an eternity before he worked up the strength and willpower to pull himself from the ground. Backing away from the boneyard, he breathed in deeply, collecting himself from the brink of panic that threatened to overtake the small sense of self that he had left. " Violet," he called raggedly.

There was no sound.

"Violet!" he yelled voice breaking as he did.

Not far from where Sesshomaru sat slumped against a barely mature pine, a gateway opened up. Violet stepped through holding a swaddling cloth in her arms and she refused to look at him, though every sight and smell was being memorized by the taiyoukai. " I'm sorry. This was the only way to save them both." Violet looked at him with eyes steeped in regret.

"Where is she?" there was a catch in her voice that made his stomach seize with dread he had never before known. " is she alive?"

"Yes…. She's alive. But you can't see her right now." Violet answered slowly. He felt the lightheadedness of holding his breath and slowly allowed air into his deprived lungs. crawling forward he found the strength to stand and went to the godchild to receive the silver-haired demoness from her arms.

"She is a full demon?" he asked not understanding any of this. His eyes were glued to her face. She looked like Kagome, smelled like her and himself but she hardly appeared to be anything less than an infant well established in the world already. "This is all too fast. She is older than what she should be. What exactly did you do violet, this is no newborn?" he tried to remain calm looking down at the infant of nearly three months.

" No, she is not. I-i did what I could to save them both. The power was too strong and she was the conduit for the energy transfer. I had to separate them, in what you felt was only a moment I raised her in my realm with me where time is my own will."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. He didn't like where all of this was going, everything had been perfect, not so long ago and now everything was all wrong.

Violet took a steadying breath. " I didn't know when she will be coming back. I lost her in time. But, she will be back, I was given assurance by the elder when I consulted him about Rokus banishment. He will bring her back when he finds her." she said.

Sesshomaru absorbed the information as calmly as he could. " the others were taken through time as well?" he guessed as he saw no hint of jakken or Yukio.

" yes well, they are a little closer then Kagome. If you like I shall endeavor for your encounters when they appear though I can't guarantee they will recognize you-"

Scoffing Sesshomaru turned from the Kami child and chuckled a horse breathless laugh that sounded more than a little crazy, even to himself. " don't bother." he began to walk toward the hut where his life had been anchored for nearly a decade. It was peaceful, the air sweet with the scent of fresh pine needles.

Approaching the door of the hut Sesshomaru stopped as the small form in his arms began to squirm, struggling to change positions from the awkward numb hold her father had been carrying her with. Strong claws latched into his arms, pulled herself up to his shoulder where she could look at him. The air of safety was all around him and with the instincts born to in pups, she reached out with her weak, feeble, energy to claim the strength that he possessed as her own. Protect me. The plea was clear and with every resistance that he had ever held clear in his mind, he was powerless to her.

Shaken at the raw possessiveness that consumed him them, he tightened his hold, as if never to let her go. Large tears welled in his eyes and for the first time since he was able to fend off his own father's blows he cried. Rolling down his cheeks to his strong chin, he saw them disappear on to the white material of his hoari before vanishing from sight. Sesshomaru watched his daughter look at him with his own golden gaze. She had her brow and the curve of her lips. These things were verdant as he memorized everything about her in those moments.

When he went into the small hut he looked around at the shelves, the alcove by the fireplace, the small kitchen. This was no place to raise an infant, this was no place to live, not anymore. The walls, he thought were pathetically flimsy and there were no visible barriers to ward off their enemies. Hus life had been too lax for far too long, he decided.

Clutching her tightly Sesshomaru attempted to rock her to sleep with Inuyasha's old blanket but she was restless, wanting to look around and even less convenient to be held constantly. He didn't know what to do but he needed to start a fire for the night and he couldn't do the task with a baby in his arms.

Finally, after remaining still for what felt like an eternity, she fell asleep enough for him to set her on the futon. He turned to the task with urgency and paranoia that each sound would set her to crying again. He was nearly ready to lite the fire when he heard the steady footsteps of the hanyou.

Inuyasha entered the hut expecting to see Kagome. He stopped when all he saw was his brother and began to back away slowly. His stomach was churning, in all his memories there was not one time that his brother was without Kagome if he had the choice. "Where is she?" he demanded momentarily forgetting the fear that had kept him alive thus far.

He did not yell, calmly he answered him. " I don't know. Sesshomaru read the changing emotions on the young half in the face. He had grown much over the years. The elder noticed the hint of his fathers frown on the boy's face as he spoke his next words.

" will she come back?" he asked. His hands were itching toward the shelf where Kagome placed her warm winter wrap and took hold of it in his claws.

"I don't know." was his only reply. Sesshomaru didn't know what to say, there was no speakable relationship between them save the fear that was natural to years of conditioning. He saw the look of it in his eyes before he ran, but the boy shook his head disbelievingly.

" ...you let her die there... I hate you!" he shouted with tears streaming. Inuyasha turned in his heel and fled from the mountain into the wilderness of the country below.

Sesshomaru looked out of the open door for the span of five long hard breaths before he walked quietly to it and closed it to keep the cold breeze from chilling the room.

Turning to the futon he went to look at the tiny in the body that lay still beneath Inuyasha's patched beloved blanket. Sighing a breath of relief that she hadn't been woken, he savored the moments of quiet before returning to his task of building a fire. When the sparks against dried kindling became tangible flame be set back to watch it grow. Picking up slowly Sesshomaru found himself shifting a few pieces before the fire was self-sustaining.

When he retreated to the other side of the hut it was to her side. He pulled the blanket from around her face where she had pulled it up for warmth. And watched her as she slept, the serenity that overcame her was so unlike anything he had ever known that he found himself unable to think of anything else but her comfort and safety.

Slowly her eyes opened. Looking up at him the child was eager to be held once more and reached to him with tiny claws outstretched. Without thinking he grabbed her to him and instinctually pulled her to his chest to cradle her close. Breathing in the scent of his child Sesshomaru planned for his mate's return. She would find him adequate as a father as she had indicated before. When she returned there would be nothing subpar about their daughter's condition. With renewed motivation, he readied for the time when she would come back to him.

" the first thing she will ask me is her name." he mused as he looked down at her demonic copy. Her brow wrinkled in a similar fashion as her mothers and Sesshomaru found himself elated at the similarity. "You are like her she was a light in my life. Your name is Himari," he said and sealed it forever as hers.

Decades of discipline barely prepared him for what Himari put him through. Feeding and changing her was easy compared to the endless needs he didn't know that infants required. Not long after his assumed role as a single parent, he hired an assistant from the village from among the medics staff. A competent youth showed his face at the entrance of his lair and with one conversation Sesshomaru made clear what would befall the lad should he slow any harm to come to his child.

Without question, the youth watched Himari as Sesshomaru hunted and warred with the neighboring demons. Conquering tribe after tribe, he began to collect the tributes he had previously ignored until he could build his fortified castle imagined by the stoic demon. With each victory, the villagers and demonic tribes sent gifts of gold and silver in hopes of gaining his loyalty. With a smirk he allowed their vying for false hope, the bottom line of every merger into his territory was that they would do as he said.

Looking down at the king of the fox tribe to the west he sneered coldly at the offering of their sacred relic. " you have to agree to do as you are commanded if it is from me. Do you understand? I am your leader and I have all final say agree to this and I will protect your village." the fox leader agreed without hesitation and let the jewels fall to his feet as he began to sob grateful tears.

" great and terrible leader. There is none other as strong as you." the fox king bowed low to him and he accepted the alliance willingly himself. Sesshomaru counted only six more tribes until he owned the entirety of the western territory. The in the tribe was among them.

Going back to the palace that sat atop the mountain that had once housed so many painful memories he received the anxious embrace of the now walking in a pup. Grabbing her to him with unbounded affection Sesshomaru felt at ease as her arms came round his neck. Breathing in the scent of his pup he was happy to carry her through the entryway. "Himari, I have missed you."

She squealed happily. " papa." it was the only word she had uttered thus far and he was entirely pleased with it. Nuzzling him under his chin and through his long silver mane she assessed his condition before burrowing in and hugging him tighter." papa." she growled.

"Were you worried about me? There will be none of that," he said almost amused and let go of the restraints holding back his full power. His energy filled every inch if the palace saturating the area in his sheer dominance even as he carried his daughter to his study. He sat in an almost regal chair that he had acquired from a human merchant and set her at the edge of his rest with hands under both arms. She kicked her feet, laughing and cooing acutely having the stoic lord so enamored that one would almost forget that he had only just washed the blood of an entire wolf tribe from his claws.

Himari adored her father, she trusted the deadly claws that held her back. There was no time that fear entered the small child until one day three years from her birth. Wandering the palace she felt the presence of her father and with eagerness befitting her ardor she ran to the gay to see him. His eyes were dead when she looked into them at his return. A darkness that she had never seen had overcome him and even her cheerful greeting and kisses could not make her father smile. she shrank back wondering if he would even greet her.

Sesshomaru could not look Himari in the eye as his latest failed attempt to find Kagome had ended unsuccessfully. One thing had come from his searching and that was the knowledge that his brother was alive. There was a tale of a red-clad hanyou refuge in the forest near the shrine where Kikyou worked. He guessed that it was him though Kikyou herself had not seen him.

Going along through the forest had brought him to an old friend, but not one that he had expected or thought of past their last goodbye. Jakken had gone back to his village without memory of his vow to him and had resumed his life as king of the kappa. That had ended soon after a failed attempt to retrieve their journey. " Lord Sesshomaru!" the kappa called from up the road. Sesshomaru bent to grab Himari with her outstretched arms and walked in quickly.

" Papa what is that?" she asked him.

"A nuisance Himari," he answered.

Fifteen years passed before Sesshomaru encountered his brother again. The woman who guarded the shrine complained to him of a terror in red and begged that he be dealt with. Sesshomaru left home early the next day, not sure what he would find when he came upon the gangly form of his kid brother. His bitter hard demeanor reminiscent of Sesshomaru's own youth and he could see the wear years out if his protection had on him.

" Inuyasha," he called to the youth who turned with a hard growl that was almost feral.

" leave me, alone brother," he growled hackles raised and aggressively challenging him as if his equal.

" do not challenge me Inuyasha, you will lose," he answered unwaveringly.

" you bastard. How dare you even talk to me after what happened. You let her die." Inuyasha balled his fists and with strength only a fraction if his brothers sprung to attack. Sesshomaru fought with the boy, scuffling with him gauging his strength and he found it all lacking.

" you need training pup." he hissed not the least hit concerned with the hate-filled Galer that shot daggers at him.

" I hate you!" he shouted and attacked once more. The fight continued through the forest over hills and through the river to the other side of the village. Sesshomaru held him leisurely in a choke hold with the pup gasping for breath.

"If you continue to terrorize my lands I will punish you brother. A year's worth of whipping will be adequate. " he threatened and dropped him to the dirt and returned to his palace.

He knew that in those years Inuyasha's hatred grew towards him. That he did nothing to encourage anything else was of no question. He preferred it that way, with the only other person that loved Kagome like he had far removed from his life. With the ever-growing demoness bending his heart at her beck and call he could afford no other weakness while he awaited the return of his love.

Himari began to mature before Sesshomaru was entirely ready and he, as it turned out, could no longer keep her existence a secret from the one person he dreaded most. It was not long after hilarious twenty-fifth birthday that he received a summons from the floating city of the black ink. He set it aside with a deep sigh and leaned his head on his folded arm in exasperation. " why me." he asked aloud.

" I don't know sir. But there is a priestess here to see you." a servant poked their head into the room and Sesshomaru stood ready for the distraction.

He hurried to the great hall where he received his subjects complaints when he stopped dead in his tracks there was an impossible resemblance with the woman in front of him and his lost love. Withheld breath, he sat in the large regal chair and beckoned her to approach the throne.

" My name is Ari, I am the keeper of a great relic called the Shikon jewel. You may have heard of it?" he began and he shook his head uninterested. This was not his time she smelled similar, perhaps kin but far from the lovely spirit that had tamed his raging heart.

"Name your purpose here." there was no patience in his voice and the young Miko had to swallow some feat in order to regain her confidence back.

"My mother told me that you are the ally of our shrine and to ask your aid when we needed it. My mother is dying, she is very old and my father and I fear for her daily, we want to know if whatever bargain that you had with my mother could be continued with me the next leader of the shrine."

Sesshomaru was bored by the time the woman finished speaking. He had dissected the behaviors of the woman to perfectly mirror Kikyou, Kagome's twin and Hiko the demon hunter. " Are you asking for the sake of your sister's village as well?"

The girl was shaken. " How did you know of my twin?" she was astounded as to how a powerful demon leader was acquainted with her mother and why he bothered to learn anything about her. he knew that she was mistaken about the source of his knowledge, she thought he worked an advanced network of informants. In reality, he knew everything that he needed to from her scent, which spoke volumes.

" there will be no change as to my 'bargain', not that a human such as yourself could return to me what I've lost. You shrines protection for what it is, is my responsibility." he was cold toward the girl, he knew he was, but the sore reminder of his lost lover made his chest clench in the most uncomfortable way. He didn't stay long in the presence of the priestess and as he began to retire towards his study once more he caught sight of a silver flash from the corner of his eye.

Whirling around with agility that he had honed since he was a pup, Sesshomaru took hold of the hand that grabbed him and quickly maneuvered the flying body through the air and with a flick of his wrist cinched in the perfect wrist lock. " you are getting sloppy Himari." he smirked and let go of her.

Shaking herself to readjust her clothes and hair, a completely undignified gesture he'd commented on several times before, but as always, his remark was only met with a large toothy grin and a pair of arms coming around him to escort him through the halls.

" father, I snuck up on you," she said proudly of the accomplishment.

"There is no place that you can be, that I do not know where you are," he said in his double meaning threat. She was used to it.

" oh your not saying that because of that silly human. I told you I wasn't trying to lead him on-"

He stopped her before she could continue. "Himari," he said her name to stop her from speaking any further into the matter. When he thought about the possibility of her mating and leaving there was a kind of rage inside of him that he could not explain. That puny human boy was hardly worth mentioning or killing. Smiling understandingly she leaned her head onto his shoulder and hummed softly as they entered his study. Taking her usual place across from him at his desk she noticed that there was something different about him, something off.

Without warning, Jakken walked into the study, praising her father's name as he did and she had to resist the urge to trip his, butt kissing self as he passed her with eyes only for her father. " how wonderful to be returning to the city of the clouds. Am I right my lord?" he squawked. Sesshomaru grabbed jakken by the back of the robe.

" what does he mean by that?" Himari asked her father who did not resist the urge to punt him back out the door.

Sesshomaru shut the door behind jakken turning back to her in a huff. Taking a few calming breaths he was surprised at the level of anger that he felt at the mention of his mother's city. " I have been summoned. As have you."

Himari didn't quite know what to make of this. News, she had never been summoned by anyone but her father, he was down the hall most nights. " by who?" she pressed.

" your grandmother. She wished to see you," he said disinterestedly. He let go of a deep breath and met her golden stair unapologetically.

Himari received the news of her grandmother with grace befitting his daughter nodding slowly she waited for a further explanation but when she received none there was no surprise. Used to a certain amount of quietness in her life Himari went back to the scroll she had been reading with only mild interest. He watched her eyes scan the page within her grasp and he stifled the smirk at how like him she was. Mirroring his concentration perfectly she was the embodiment of the years of effort and training he had placed into her. She mimicked his actions, thought pattern and speech patterns in her own way, but there were things of Kagome that were not easily hidden and often took him by surprise, when she slowly looked up at him realizing that once more he was staring at her in deep thought and put her scroll aside to give him her attention. " do you want to talk about anything father?" she asked him curiously.

Quirking a brow he snorted humorlessly. " why do you ask?" he said not answering her question but knowing that her senses were sharp.

"Frankly, father you are silent all of the time but there are times when it weighs heavier than normal. It's her, isn't it? You are thinking about mother." she pinned him with her observation.

Slowly Sesshomaru let the stoic mask slip and in a rare show of emotion let his lips pull into a frown and he nodded slowly in admission. " where could she have gone that she's taken twenty-five years to return. Father. She may never-"

"Do not say that. I have the word of the elder kami that she will return. It was them who lost her, and they shall return her to us." he was harsher than he meant to be but the young demoness was used to the defensiveness he held over his misplaced mate. There were so many things that confused her about her mother's disappearance but there was one constant, that her father knew that she would return, unharmed. He waited for her.

That night stretched into a hot dry night made to keep a dog demoness awake all night. With a faint flicker of candlelight, she sat up in her room going over the scrolls written by her mother concerning healing potion and the way of human biology when she heard a noise just outside the boundary of the palace. Curiosity was dangerous when your father was the most powerful demon of the western province, especially when you are his only heir, but this was forgotten by the maturing Himari who slipped from the comfort of her bed to pad lightly into the hall. Her intent was to find a window large enough to see the intruder but she forgot herself when she was a flash of lightning.

Sesshomaru knew the moment Himari had left her room and was following her not far behind when his senses were filled with a strange yet familiar smell. Cat. he armed himself, having only just returned from a battle with a formidable cat tribe. Going to the gateway faster than humorous young eyes could track he managed to surprise her when she bumped into his back when he appeared in front of her. " father-"

"Shh." he silenced her.

Out of the mist came the form of a single demon, his eyes reflecting in the moonlight and thunder clashed all around him. " Lord Sesshomaru?" he called. There was no doubt who it was when he finally walked into the light of the torches. " is this really the palace of the great dog lord Sesshomaru?" he asked again.

Standing with his arms folded, Sesshomaru hid the emotion that threatened to show on his stoic face. "Youkio," he answered.

Stepping forward he came face to face with the only demon that he'd ever truly liked and they remained in silence for a long time before Youkio sank into a bow with his bangs almost touching the ground. Then looking up at him he noticed Himari beside him and was confused. Leaning towards her to take in her scent, Youkios eyes widened.

" old friend, I have to congratulate you on the birth of your heir, may I pay my respects to your mate as well, her smile was the light of all of our lives." he mused.

Himari came to her father's side at the mention of her mother and put a comforting hand on the stoic demon's shoulder. " mother, was lost. She is not here yet." was her answer.

Youkio understood all to well as he had found himself displaced several years from the time of his disappearance. Time and distance have not affected his memory but there were things from that time that could not be salvaged, was now simply lost. His mate and children had all greeted him and after explanation accepted him back. "And what of Kikyou?" he asked.

" she was sent back to the shrine immediately and has been there since." Sesshomaru answered, Himari had no connection to a shrine, and so guessed that they must have meant a shaman that hated their travels and has gone home. Not thinking any more about it she considered the friendship between her father and this demon as an oddity, she had never seen her father greet anyone with half of the gladness that he'd seen Youkio with and thus gave her great respect for him right away. She didn't particularly like cats, but she didn't mind him.

Youkio was invited to stay as their guest and took advantage of that offer by staying for several weeks in what he referred to as a luxury vacation. " I like this new attitude of yours. This is a nice palace, when did you build it?" he asked.

" it was constructed twenty years ago, for the protection of my daughter and my village," he said knowing what he meant. Youkio laughed at the idea of his friend having such a soft heart towards his daughter but was unable to deny the effect her presence had on his life. She was courteous, kind and regal to a fault,

" Kagome is going to be proud of her," he observed.

"I expect nothing less." Sesshomaru answered he still felt a pang of hurt in his chest when he thought of her when he imagined her lost in the world like jakken and Youkio had appeared he wanted to drop everything and search for her but there had been no word from Violet or any indication of her reappearance anywhere. His network was expansive and all knew that he searched for the greatest healers in the province, if only just to look at their face for a moment before he turned them away. None of them were her.

"I've encountered Inuyasha. In the village not far from where the shrine is. They say that there is a jewel there of incredible power, enough to grant any wish." Youkio reported.

" hm, I have heard of this jewel, its keeper was here weeks ago to ask for my protection." he shrugged. Youkio shook his head.

"You Have seen her then, the similarity is eery, I was mistaken myself before she shot at me with a sacred arrow. She nearly pinned me when I escaped." he sighed relieved. Sesshomaru found it interesting and ribbed him for almost being caught by a human. " she is powerful. Aye maybe even approaching what her aunt could do."

Sesshomaru revealed in the appearance of his friend and stayed for long hours in his company before retiring to his chamber. There was no one there to greet him when he opened the door and he was used to it by now. Setting back on the futon and stretching out with his boots still on he closed his eyes and imagined Kagome as she had been when he'd last seen her. Everything about the last few weeks of their life together had been hell except when they had been together. Imagining her warm figure pressed to his side Sesshomaru could almost see her there next to him on the futon. Her eyes sleepy, adoring and waiting for him to take her into his arms once more.

"Sesshomaru, I've missed you," she said to him kissing a small line on his jaw.

"I have waited every waking moment for your return, when will you come back to my love," he asked wanting so badly to hear her answer.

"I don't know. Perhaps tomorrow. Or even right now." he came awake again to the sound of an intruder. Jumping out of bed and landing on his feet he shoved the door aside and paced the halls anxiously for the arrival of his latest guest.

" mother," he said coldly.

" Oh, Sesshomaru, is that how you greet your mother after all this time?" she sighed as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the dimly lit corridor.

"You are not welcome here," he said meaning every word.

"Oh won't you forget about what happened with that human girl, that was ages ago." she insisted.

" for you, I live with the consequences of your pride every day," he said and began to turn away from her coldly. Now that he was unconcerned about an invasion he was almost regretting getting out of bed at all after being so close to finally being able to hold her one last time before the dream ended.

"I want to see her."

" no," he growled.

" she is the first female heir in over six generations. In all rights, she should be an alpha female of her own pack by now-"

" if you have come here to meddle in my life, and force me into a traditionalist mentality you have made a trip for nothing. No one will take Himari from me. Ever." he meant it and with the aggressive stance of someone not willing to budge even an inch in leeway he held his ground.

" of course I do not have the power to force you into anything. My esteemed son had gained quite the reputation as a leader of the western province. Even the elder inu king bows to you as his leader.

He did not answer her through what she said was true. She did not stay long and though Sesshomaru knew that Himari stalked them from the other side of the hallway just out of sight he allowed his mother adequate time to both see and smell the scent of her grandchild. Without any more drama, she left them, satisfied to be humored at the very least with her rebellious sneaking in order to see what she was like. With pride, she went back to her city in the clouds, and there she made a place for her granddaughter, that was forever hers and would be opened to her should she ever be in need.

Watching his mother fly into the distance Sesshomaru began to wonder if this truly would be a time in his life that he would not only have to make peace with what happened but would have to forge on through it even when it was difficult.

For years on from that point he carefully stewarded the countryside. Attending to disaster control and relief aid to the villagers was the easier of the tasks he became responsible for. Nightly he began to patrol our borders. Daily he fought a new foe and built his strength into an indomitable force that nearly none of the demons of his age could stand against.

Too quickly he became aware of the evil heart that had consumed his brother and with effort, he tracked him down and tested him, again and again, to build his strength and battle back some of the craze that years of loneliness had caused him. This time was different though as he came upon his brother cooking on a fire near the water of a riverbank. He sensed his brother far before he appeared at the treeline and stood ready to fight.

"Sesshomaru!" he said without any title or respect.

" you are causing trouble, dishonoring our father's name with your actions." he scolded the youth of seventy. Time made no bridge between them and the hurt that they had both felt with kagome's loss.

" oh that's rich now you want to talk about dad, right? Tell me did he like your pompous ass of beat you like the bitch you are." he seethed. Sesshomaru jumped on his brother then, brawling like a pup fighting for his first boundary line when Inuyasha actually connected with a punch that stunned the elder demon only momentarily but it was enough to give him that little confidence that sent him into a barrage of punches that barely hit their mark. Sesshomaru separated himself from his brothers advancing strikes and marveled at his strength.

Pride and anger mingled inside of the stoic demon but he put that aside for the warning that was clear. " stay away from the Shikon jewel, taking it will only lead to your undoing." he said calmly.

" you don't want me to become a full demon! You want me to say weak! You bastard!" he was nearly screaming at him with fists balled just like when he had thrown temper tantrums when he was a pup. He turned and darted away before another move could be made by the elder brother and he watched his red form fade into the shadow of the night.

The news of Inuyasha's death soon after was of no surprise, the last shred of his old life snapped apart like a dried reed in those moments of contemplation and immediately he set off towards the bone eaters well. He watched them burn the priestess on the pyre where her wounds had overtaken her and a moment was spent in reflection as she was consumed by the flames, she that was so like his love, but so different at the same time.

It was not far from that little village that he came upon the pinned body of his brother displayed against the goshinboku in a death pose. reaching out and touching the neck of his younger brother to check his pulse he found that the dead sleep that had taken his brother was only at the earliest stages of death and he was suspended as such. Reaching for the arrow to remove it and rightly punish him for not listening to his warning he was surprised to find that the arrow was completely immune to his power and even burned him back when he tried again.

Taking a step back from it he looked at the spell with a newfound wonder at the strength of the priestess. " this will hold you until one of similar or greater magic removes it. And since the younger sibling of your beloved priestess barely retains any magic you will exist here, brother." he said not too sad about the turn of events. He never really liked the pup anyway.

" Sesshomaru." there was a voice behind him that he was not sure was real and froze in place until she spoke again. " Sesshomaru. I have found her." he turned and looked at the mature kami that stood not too far from the goshinboku. Her gateway opened at the base of a steep hill and she stepped out clothed in her trademark violet robes.

Taking a steadying breath, he prepared himself for her next words but could not prepare himself for what she had to say. "Where is she?" he asked softly.

" here." violet took him to the edge of a well that looked as if the rotting bodies of several demons had been left. He looked down into the wooden frame with little expectation and saw nothing there. " Sesshomaru she does not remember what happened to her during the war, or when she was transported, you will have to be patient with her but she wants to see you."

" then she remembers?" he asked and felt his breath catch when a light began at the bottom of the well. The manifestation of purifying magic became tangible at the bottom of the well with the glowing pink light that signified kagome's magic. It was a few moments before he could see her form appear at the bottom of the well and without a second thought jumped into the well.

It was dark where she was, very dark and smells of rotting flesh when she was caught around the waist by a pair of arms like iron bars. Gasping kagome fought against them grabbing at strong writs and sleeves when she felt lips feathering her neck in an all too familiar caress. Her memories came back to her slowly as she turned into his chest and buried her head in the warmth of Sesshomaru's affection. Hands tracing every inch of her face and wrapping in her hair he could do nothing else but pull her into a feverish kiss.

Raggedly he breathed against her mouth, kissing it again and again before he could pull himself back from her enough to assure himself that their mating mark was still there and latched his mouth to it hungrily.

"Sesshomaru." she breathed slowly.

As if just remembering that they were standing at the bottom of a well lined with the corpses of demons Sesshomaru gathered her to him and jumped from the well, landing lightly. When they landed on the soft grass of the clearing Sesshomaru did not let her feet touch the ground before he began to walk toward their palace.

" was I gone somewhere?" she asked him. Looking at him she noticed that there were a great many things different about her love. He stood fully armored with what looked like a nobleman's gear, his clothes were made of pure silk and everything about him seems to have grown by almost half. Even his previously wiry frame had filled out into a more muscular and broader physique.

"You have been gone a long while and there are a great many things that you are to be brought up to date with." he began.

Arriving late at the palace Kagome was more than a little overwhelmed to find that her secret mountain hut had turned into the epicenter of the entire province with a large palace in place of the wooden huts. One of them still stood as a storage chamber for all of his weapons and training equipment. Kagome was in shock as she was carried through the halls and into the great chambers of the lower floor. Sesshomaru was impatient, wanting to re-establish his comfortable routine with Kagome and excited to get to the meeting that would shape the next years of his life.

Himari was an adult youkai, adept in her training and cunning beyond what her father ever expected. In battle, she was next to only her father and had not been defeated in a decade when she came down the stairs at the sound of her father's heavy footfalls. " papa. The guards from the ocean tribe are here already what you want me to do about them?" she asked wrinkling her nose at an odd smell coming from the direction her father had walked in. there was something off about him, he was almost giddy and she could think of nothing that made her father that happy, ever.

Sesshomaru turned at Himaris voice, not bothering to set Kagome on her feet for the introduction. There was a possessiveness in the way that her father held that human woman that made Himari suspicious. And taking in her scent, she realized why. "Himari," he said her name needing them both beside him.

"Himari?" Kagome held her breath as she looked at the silver-haired inu demoness without understanding. she had called Sesshomaru father, she thought. The woman before her was a grown replica of everything that his mother ever wanted for him. She was strong, beautiful and as she grew closer, a look too familiar crossed her face and Kagome was left with the same feeling she got when her twin looked at her with helpless concern. "Sesshomaru, who is this?" she asked slowly.

Sesshomaru took her hand in his and reached for Himaris with the same affection. " she is our daughter." he said watching kagome's expression change from one kind of concern to from Himari to Sesshomaru she saw the resemblance undoubtedly and knew he spoke the truth.

"Why don't I remember her?" she asked her breath coming short. How long was I gone?" she asked starting to panic.

"Himari saw without a doubt the love that her father had for this woman and was inclined to trust his instincts. Slowly she began to speak to the quaking human woman. " I am seventy this year. Father has been waiting for your arrival for many decades, it is my honor to meet you, mother," she said the word though it sounded strange in her mouth.

Kagome looked up at the title with a small gasp. " I've missed everything!" she began to cry. Turning into Sesshomaru's chest she sobbed for the loss time wanting to have been there for the hard times that she didn't know that her love was even capable of handling. " your first steps, words, I've missed everything, I don't even know you." she cried harder than she expected to but could not stop once the tears fell. Helplessly Himari felt obligated to help her father calm her down and tried to make conversation as she patted her back gently.

"Father was wonderful. We have never been apart, mother. I have been taken care of." she said.

Wrinkling her brow she gave Sesshomaru a soggy look and tried to wipe her eyes. " you took care of her by yourself?" she asked sniffling. Looking back at the demoness she was struck with a swelling of pride in her chest that dried her tears.

"Yes," he answered. Leaning up to kiss him firmly she held him tightly as his arms slipped around her waist pulling her against his chest. Himari blinked a few times surprised by the open show of affection.

" this is so weird," she muttered and began to feel uncomfortable when they got carried away. "Father!" she gasped when they did not stop. Having never seen any sight such as the satisfaction of her mother's presence on her father Himari decided that it was time for her to take a nice long quiet walk around the gardens and left them where they stood. Going through the hallways to the back exit to the small patch of garden, she was content to sit there under a tree leaned back against it thinking about the woman that was her mother. Time had made no change to the woman's appearance, the painting of her he had in his father's study was her mirror even though seventy years had passed. Wondering about the strange circumstances of her birth had not been her priority in life but was quickly becoming a topic of interest as she connected the dots between several incidents and guests that arrived unexpectedly.

Laughing to herself she never imagined the stoic monster that every demon feared would be smitten by a human girl no more extraordinary than any run of the mill priestess as she could tell. " how things unfold." she mused.

Inside the palace, Sesshomaru was finishing his tour with a final surprise for the woman he loved. " Kagome, there was not one instance since you disappeared that I have not thought of you." uncovering her eye he showed her the workroom he had built for her and she marveled at the collection of scrolls and supplies that he was able to find for her.

" where did you get all of the money to do this?" she asked him.

" when it was obvious you were not coming back right away I began some safety measures to protect our daughter. The tributes from the villages began the construction, but the war after furnished everything and set a continuing income in order to maintain it all."

" you are accepting the tribute? I never knew you to care about anything like this." she smiled at how he had changed he was more mature, more responsible with a knack for decorating as she saw his stoic flare as a theme for the entire palace. The armor and grey walls with dramatic staircases and large rooms were as much a part of his character now as his death glare. Taking it all in Kagome didn't know where to begin with her life and for a few horrifying moments wondered if she would even fit into the world that he had built for himself.

As if guessing what she was thinking, Sesshomaru came up behind her and put his arms lovingly around her leaning his lips to her ear before taking the shell of it between his teeth and nibbling not too gently. " you belong here with me." he said huskily. It had been too long since she was within his grasp, this woman that had inspired so much hatred and love in a being bereft of emotions. There was no time that he had not been affected by her for better or worse and he knew that no one else would ever affect him this way.

Dragging her behind him to the hallway at the top of the third floor he found the last door at the end of the hallway and pushed open the door. Stumbling into the chamber Kagome felt the familiar sense of home when she saw many of her things adorning the shelves and tablespace within the large room. The bedroom was split into a quasi-study and a sleeping area with fireplace at the end of the room. Two large windows opened up to the sunset let in crimson light into the darkening space casting shadows over every surface and dancing across their faces as they turned once more to each other.

As if drawn together by an invisible string Sesshomaru was drawn closer to her, her scent filling him, intoxicating him as it had when he first realized his need of her. That possession of the power of time had been an illusion. The bitterness and rage an excuse for weakness. Gently he ran his claws through her raven hair, shaping her scalp and massaging it slowly as they kissed. Tongues battled, hands reached for one another in intimate need. She was bare before she felt the futon at her back, the startling chill of the air was covered by her mate's ready form. Nothing could prepare her for the stark desire and intimacy that he showed her, with unbounded love kagome received him and when the night turned into morning she still had not slept. Shifting into a more comfortable position he felt Sesshomaru's fang dragging over the skin of her breast before his lips closed around her, sucking gently through the wanted to devour her with the need he possessed. " you will never be away from me again." he promised.

Kagome frowned. " how can we be sure. After everything?" she asked and for the second time since reuniting he let an easy smile curve his lips, only for her.

"I have fulfilled my bargain with the kami, your life and protection are mine now to do with as I see fit," he said too arrogantly for Kagome to let slide.

" oh what do you suggest, Lord Sesshomaru?" she questioned him. He grunted at the title and moved to pin her lazily with his heavier body. Yawning he felt her discomfort and hear small grunting sounds as she struggled to breathe beneath his weight. He shifter to give her small relief but savored the annoyed look that began at her eyes.

"I suppose I will have to punish you for taking seventy years to come back to me," he grunted and began a procession of kisses that started at her sternum and divided her body perfectly down to her navel… gasping softly Kagome felt the prodding invasion and let herself feel the pleasure of her mates punishment.

Biting her lip at the small sucking that sent shivers through her like lightning shocks she felt at the edge of a great precipice when a voice too familiar sounded off on the other side of the chamber door. kagome gasped startled and aroused at once. Sesshomaru grabbed her hips pulling her tighter into his kiss when the voice sounded off again.

" what do you want jakken." he heaving Sesshomaru ripped himself away from his mate and stomped to the door not caring that he was still naked. Jakken sputtered his response when he looked into the unamused eyes of the demon lord.

" the wolf tribe to the north is invading the forest. The guard station there has been wiped out and the village leader has sent word that they are in great need," he reported and as he finished the door slammed in his face. Balling his fists and snarling when his back touched the hard surface of the door he saw Kagome with the blanket wrapped around her form waiting for him to tell her what was happening.

"I must go," he said to her softly. There was a concern in her eyes.

" you have never worried about a thing like this before?" she wondered what he would do. Sesshomaru knew what she meant and went to her to bring to standing in front of him. The blanket fell away and she shyly tried to pick it up again when he stopped her.

" it is my duty as a demon with the strength to look after those who cannot protect themselves. I did this to remember you, to honor you, and now I do it so that I can protect what we have here. You will never be taken from me again." he promised.

Watching him collect his armor and dress with the discipline of a warlord she saw that this wasn't an act or a ploy, he was serious about protecting the people of his land. She had never been so proud. When he went to reach for his sword she was there at his side helping him to fasten it to his hip. " I love you, so much."

"I do not deserve your love, I am a monster after all," he smirked. Part of him feared that she would disapprove of the calculated killing that had once more become a habit but she wasn't.

" you do. You are a good man Sesshomaru."

When she kissed him goodbye that day she watched him leave with an expectation of success and was not disappointed when Himari shared her belief. Talking with the quiet, oftentimes stoic demoness was a growing joy in her day to day as they got to know each other. Sharing a love for medicine Himari revealed her knowledge of kagome's writings and displayed her skill in a practiced pragmatic skill that impressed her mother to no end.

Commonality reached was the beginning of a close relationship between the two, with Sesshomaru gone on patrol, and diplomatic missions, more and more Kagome began to pick up her old professor and assumed the role of healer within the palace.

After almost a year, Kagome asked about Inuyasha, having assumed rightly that the brothers didn't speak she made known her desire to see him when Sesshomaru took her to the goshinboku. Looking at his form with a guilty frown she reached up and cupped his face, he was so cold. "Why?"

" it seems he had fallen in love with Kikyou's granddaughter, also named Kikyou, he tried to get close to her and was cursed when she discovered his want for the sacred jewel. He'd tried to steal it to become a full demon," he explained.

" what happened to her, to Kikyou?" she asked feeling sick.

Sesshomaru felt uneasy. " she died from her wounds."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha in silence before bowing her head and beginning to pray for her beloved foster son. " please, let Inuyasha find peace. I pray that Kikyou comes back to him." she said and sealed the prayer as a curse of her own before leaning to his still face and kissing him.

It was more than fifty years before Inuyasha was awoken from the cursed sleep. Sesshomaru felt the stirring of the bone eaters well as he patrolled his territory. And though it lay beyond he slipped into Inuyasha's forest with just enough time to see the oddly dressed human girl stumble through the forest. The resemblance was remarkable between the youth and his own mate but her smell, her mannerisms everything about her was foreign. She went to the three where Inuyasha was and inspected him as though she had never seen a half-demon before.

"How strange?" he said peering at his ears.

From his place high in the trees, he watched her hands itch towards his ears before clutching them and squealing happily. he shook his head at the antics of young women. About to turn to get back home he saw her reach for the arrow as the forest began to rumble beneath her. Sighing he realized he had loosed one of the centipede demons from the well and wondered if she would be eaten when Inuyasha came to life once more.

" Hey, wench. Are you going to just stand there screaming or are you going to vanquish it? Kikyou," he growled.

"Who is Kikyou? My name is Kagome." she put her hands on her hips.

"Ech… whatever release me so I can like it then," he said baiting her to comply. Sesshomaru watched with rekindled interest as Kagome reached for the arrow and it dissolved in her grasp.

He turned then even as the forest broke into a series of explosions and screaming. He went back to his palace, through the wide gate that shut firmly behind him. Himari was already in her study, looking over paperwork he had asked her to do for him. Kagome was in her workroom as well concocting a potion to heal the ailing half demon at the request of an elderly woman who had mated a light demon. Her son's digestion problems would be hopefully solved.

Standing at the door and watching her grind herbs with the mortar and pestle he sauntered right up to her work table and took the pestle from her hand. " I need that." she said nothing at his sudden appearance. " you will be happy to know that the pup is awake now." taking her into his arms he realized that as he settled into his mated warm embrace that the boys awakening would mean more headache, he had sensed the jewel with the girl and knew that if his idiot brother could mess this up, he would.

"You will watch over him won't you?" she asked as if reading his thoughts this time. " I'm sure whatever has happened means there is trouble."

"As a son of Inu no Taisho, there is no other life then filled with trouble. He unleashed us on to this world and it has fought to strip us of everything, he will have to become a lot stronger in order to protect what life he makes for himself." Sesshomaru said knowing already what t was like to lose everything.

"You will have to teach him, to be like you," she said snuggling into him.

"You mean for him to become what I am? What is that?"

"A hero," she said with a kiss.

 **AN; this is the final chapter of creating a monster. I would like to thank all of the amazing people who helped me to bring this story into reality. thank you to my dokuga fans as well as the group that encouraged and believed in me through these last two years. I appreciate every comment and read given to me by my faithful audience and I hope to continue to provide you with quality amusement in the future. thank you all again.**

 **-ideramofinuyoukai, out.**


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